
Class iiiMSm. 
Book „___ 



Copyright 1^?- 



COHfRIGHT DEPOSm 



The Master's Call to Service 



BY 

Rev. a. Houtz, A.M., 

Orange ville, Pa. 

Author of "Hold the Fort," **A Pastorate of 

Thirty-five Years," and ''Ties 

That Bind." 



PHILADELPHIA : 

REFORMED CHURCH PUBLICATION BOARD 

1910 



f% 






COPTBIGHTED, 1910, BY ReV. A. HOUTZ. 



CG!,Av:6in67 



CONTENTS 



Chapter 

I. The Responsive Nature of Man 7 

II. We Should Discriminate Between the 

True and False Appeal 15 

III. Regeneration Necessary to Right Dis- 

crimination 27 

IV. Man is Made for a Purpose 35 

V. God has a Mission for Everyone 42 

VI. In the Selection of an Occupation We 

Should Seek His Counsel 49 

VII. In the Selection of a Life Companion We 

Should Consult His Will 60 

VIII. In the Moral Conflicts of Life, We 

Should Vindicate His Principles 65 

IX. We Are to be Witnesses for Christ 73 

X. The Master Calls for Laborers in His 

Vineyard 81 

XI. The Master's Call TO Worship 96 

XII. The Master's Call to the Gospel Minis- 
try 102 

XIII. The Master's Call for Laborers in the 

Missionary Field 114 

XIV. The Reward of Service 124 

XV. Conclusion 130 



INTRODUCTION. 

Perhaps no question is of more impor- 
tance to the individual than this: What 
is my true mission in this world? We 
realize that God has given us a being for 
a purpose. We feel more or less our 
responsibility to our Maker. How can 
we make the best use of our lives and live 
to the glory of God.^ No one wishes to 
live an aimless and useless life, hence 
most young people are solicitous for 
their future career. To assist you in the 
solution of this great problem of your 
life, is the mission of this book. In 
writing it we have tried to be both 
practical and logical. It is practical as 
it is adapted to present needs. It is 
logical as it begins with the responsive 
nature of fallen man and the overtures of 
a sinful world; it points out the dangers 
that lie in man's path; it speaks of the 
necessity of a change in man's moral 
nature that he may be responsive to the 
calls of the Divine Master. 

When a proper relation is established 
between a man and his Maker, it will be 
easy for him to acquiesce in the Divine 

5 



6 THE master's call TO SERVICE. 

Will, and his cry will be: ''Lord, what 
wilt Thou have me to do?" It matters 
not what his calling may be, he cheerfully 
follows it as an appointment from the 
Lord. When the humble servant, the 
common laborer, the miner or the me- 
chanic feels that his calling is divine, he 
is as happy in its pursuit as the person 
who fills the most exalted position. 
Much of the felt drudgery of life is caused 
by men and women losing sight of the 
fact that their calling, however humble, is 
divine, and should be rejoiced in. 

While we are to minister to our own 
personal necessities in the pursuit of some 
lawful occupation, we are to heed the 
Master's call in many other respects: In 
the selection of our amusements, asso- 
ciates and life companions; in the moral 
conflicts of this life; in bearing witness 
for Him; and in laboring in the various 
departments of church activity. With 
the hope and the prayer that this little 
book will be the means of assisting many 
to hear and heed the Master's call, we 
send it forth on its intended mission. 
May a kind Providence guard and direct 
it in its voyage. Author. 



CHAPTER I. 

The Responsive Nature of Man. 

In the natural world there is a law of 
sympathy with which most of us are 
familiar. When a certain key of the or- 
gan or piano is struck, some loose part of 
the lamp, or some metallic trinket on the 
mantel or wall will vibrate and sing; 
some one exclaims, ''What is that.^" 
The more intelligent reply, ''The loose 
part of the lamp or the trinket is of the 
same pitch as the key of the instrument, 
and is responding to it. " 

Sometimes when a church bell is ring- 
ing, we observe that something in the 
house vibrates or sings. We have often 
observed also that when a train of cars 
is approaching our town ajid is going 
around a certain curve, it produces sound 
waves that cause a loose piece of glass in 
the window to vibrate. The escaping of 
steam from a locomotive will sometimes 
produce the same effect. 



8 THE master's call TO SERVICE. 

We not only see this law of sympathy 
in the material world, but we see it also 
in the animal kingdom. Do not the 
lizards respond to the approach of 
spring.^ Do not the birds sing at the 
approach of day ? And at the approach 
of rain, does not the tree-frog croak .^ 
The lowing of the cattle, the neighing 
of the horses, and the flight of the birds 
are indications of approaching storm. 
As the musical instrument responds to 
the touch of the fingers, so birds and 
beasts respond to the touch of nature. 

This responsive nature is no less pre- 
valent in mankind. The smile of the in- 
fant is a response to the mother's love. 
The admiration we express at the beauti- 
ful landscape is a response of our hearts 
at nature's appeal. The delight we ex- 
press at the recital of eloquence and at 
the rendition of music, is a response of 
our own souls to these admirable perform- 
ances. 

If we attend an entertainment, we are 
usually delighted. If we visit an Art 
Gallery, our admiration is awakened; 
these awakened feelings are the respon- 
ses to that which pleases and delights. 



THE RESPONSIVE NATURE OF MAN. 9 

If we are invited to accompany a friend 
in a walk, to a social gathering, or to 
some place of amusement, how respon- 
sive we are to what we hear and see. 

As we read of liberal donations made 
to the poor and destitute, or to our bene- 
volent institutions, how free our hearts are 
to respond, "'God bless the giver, and 
the gift.'' 

In the M. E. Church, the zealous wor- 
shiper occasionally emphasizes with an 
audible Amen, a good strong sentiment 
uttered by his pastor in his sermon or 
prayer. 

It is well that we have a responsive 
nature; without this, there could be no 
improvement. The clay yields to the 
potter, and is thus transformed into use- 
ful vessels and beautiful forms. 

Because our nature is responsive, we 
are susceptible of improvement and de- 
velopment, physical, mental and spiritual. 
By yielding to good influences we are 
made good. 

But our responsive nature has a nega- 
tive side. By yielding to bad influences, 
we become bad. ''Be not deceived; evil 
communications corrupt good manners. '' 
1 Cor. 15: 33. 



10 THE master's call TO SERVICE. 

God has made us free moral agents, 
capable of choosing the good and reject- 
ing the evil, or of choosing the evil and 
rejecting the good. Hence we are re- 
sponsible for our own actions. 

This responsive nature in man is con- 
ditioned by its sympathy. The loose 
piece of metal or trinket that vibrates 
when a certain key of the instrument is 
touched is in the same pitch as that key is. 
Its vibration is sympathetic with the vi- 
bration of the musical instrument. Like 
produces like; on this same principle, the 
phonograph and the wireless telegraphy 
are constructed. 

Thus the votaries of pleasure are 
naturally drawn to social entertainments; 
the men of literary tastes, to books and 
literature; the lovers of music to musical 
concerts, and the lovers of birds and 
beasts to the menageries. 

Our nature is very responsive to the 
calls of that which is in harmony with its 
own liking and taste. Thus, a man who 
is good at heart will readily respond to 
the call of that which is good and right. 
But an evil disposed man is more inclined 
to respond to that which is evil and sinful. 



THE RESPONSIVE NATURE OF MAN. 11 

Concerning these two classes of persons, it 
is written, ''Wide is the gate, and broad 
is the way that leadeth to destruction, and 
many there be which go in thereat; be- 
cause strait is the gate, and narrow is 
the way, which leadeth unto Hfe, and 
few there be that find it." Matt. 7: 13- 
14. 

Not only is human nature responsive, 
but there is much in this world that ap- 
peals to man. Wherever we look we 
may see and hear something that appeals 
strongly to us. What is the quiet valley 
through which the brook meanders, the 
hills upon whose sloping sides the sheep 
are grazing, the mountains with their 
lofty peaks, and the overhanging canopy 
of the sky, but calls to praise the Maker 
of them all. 

We hear His voice in the gentle zephyrs 
from the South as well as in the cold 
blasts from the North. We see His good- 
ness in the gentle rays of the sun that 
warms the earth, quickens vegetation, 
paints the flowers in delicate shades of 
beauty, and perfumes the lily and the rose. 
In the refreshing rain, and in the fruits of 
garden and field. He calls us to praise 
Him, the author of all these blessings. 



12 THE master's call TO SERVICE. 



Who does not hear His terrible voice in 
the sweeping storm, in the destructive 
tornado, in the loud peals of thunder that 
shakes the earth, in the flashes of light- 
ning that zigzags the sky, and in the de- 
structive volcano and earthquake. In 
all these God tells us to fear Him who 
hath power to destroy. 

This world is full of both useful and 
delusive calls. How many innocent and 
sinful pleasures there are; games of 
base ball and foot ball; races by machines, 
horses and men; races on land and on 
water. Of the various games played, 
some are innocent and some are harm- 
ful. There are pleasure excursions by 
land and by water, on week days and on 
Sundays. 

Much of the business of this world is 
honorable and beneficial, and much is 
sinful and harmful; our papers are filled 
with calls for this, that and the other 
thing. In advertising, every man has 
the best and cheapest article. The gilt- 
edged security is offered by the weakest 
concern as well as the strongest; there are 
tricks in all trades and many are the vic- 
tims. Many are the inducements pressed 



THE RESPONSIVE NATURE OF MAN. 13 

upon US to invest in the stocks of concerns 
that may be real or only imaginary. 
There is no limit to the wild speculations 
of our age. Many of these investments 
prove a total failure in the end; they are 
like the echo from the hill-side that de- 
ludes the responding boy, or like the pot 
of gold at the end of the rain-bow. As 
the rain-bow recedes, the pot of money 
disappears. Even the inducements of- 
fered in a political campaign by a candi- 
date in his canvassing for votes, are often 
false and visionary. 

The discovery of gold at Pike's Peak 
and in the Klondike of Alaska, was a call 
to adventurers. The North and South 
Poles have i been standing appeals to 
explorers for many years. 

There is an old saying that every 
leader has his followers; so scores will 
respond to these appeals that emanate 
from the natural world, and from the 
dominion of politics. It seems that man- 
kind is ready with open hands to seize 
these bubbles. 

There is not an overture from this 
world, good or bad, which has not a re- 
sponse from some one; there is not a man, 



14 THE master's call TO SERVICE. 

woman or child who is not responding to 
some call in the pursuit of happiness; 
while the course that some are pursuing 
is upward and Godward, the course of 
others is downward and to certain de- 
struction. It is sad to see so many lives 
thrown away by an improper choice. 
Because we are free moral agents, we must 
choose between the good and the evil, 
the right and the wrong, the true and the 
false appeals. The failure to make the 
proper choice is the cause of many per- 
sons being wrecked for time and eternity. 



CHAPTER II. 

We Should Discriminate Between 
THE True and the False Appeal. 

My neighbor could so nearly imitate 
the cry of the screech owl, that it would 
respond to him and thus reveal its place 
of concealment. The pigeon catcher in 
the bough-house so manipulates the flyer 
and the stool pigeon, that he lures a whole 
flock into his net. 

It is necessary that we carefully con- 
sider the appeals that are made to us 
from the world, and discriminate between 
the good and the evil, the true and the 
false. Many a Mariner listened to the 
music of the Siren and was lured to his 
destruction. Many a fish yielded to the 
enticing bait of the angler and was caught. 
Many an unwary animal has been caught 
in the snare of the trapper, and many a 
fly has been caught in the spider's web. 

So, too, many a pure girl has been lured 
to her ruin. Many a bright boy has be- 
come a failure; and many a professor of 

15 



16 THE master's call TO SERVICE. 

the Christian reUgion has made ship- 
wreck of his faith. How many promis- 
ing lives have thus been made fruitless! 

Six million letters go astray every year, 
because they are not properly addressed; 
and how many boys and girls go astray 
because they yield to bad influences, or 
are not properly directed. 

The way a man's face is turned, general- 
ly shows how his feet are going. Xo one 
can follow Christ if his eyes are turned 
awav from Him. If vour heart goes out 
in longings for the world, it has not been 
given to God. 

In responding to the appeals of this 
world, we should not consult our own 
fancy or pride, but should seek to know 
the will of God. We too often take that 
for the voice of God, which is not His 
voice. In 1 Kings 19: 11, 12, we have 
a good illustration of what does not, and 
what does constitute the voice of God: 
''A great strong wind rent the mountains, 
and brake in pieces the rocks before the 
Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind; 
and after the wind an earthquake; but 
the Lord was not in the earthquake; and 
after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord 



TRUE AND FALSE APPEAL. 17 

was not in the fire; and after the fire a 
still small voice." This was the voice 
of God to Elijah. So God speaks to us, 
not so much by outward demonstration, 
as by the still small voice addressed to our 
consciences. 

In Acts 16: 7, we read that Paul and 
Silas '"essayed to go into Bithynia; but 
the spirit suffered them not." Their 
true way, unknown to them, but plain to 
God, was across into Europe where they 
were to expand the Christian Church. 
William Carey intended to go to Tahiti, 
but God's spirit led him to India. David 
Livingstone intended to go to China, but 
the spirit led him to Africa. In these 
three last cases a discrimination is made 
between the will of God and the will of 
man. 

My dear young friend, permit me to 
assist you in choosing your pleasures and 
amusements. Do not think for a mo- 
ment that God wishes to deprive you of 
pleasure and amusement; He gave us a 
social nature that we might be sociable. 
He gave us the faculty of laughter, that 
we might laugh. He gave us the sense of 
pleasure that we might enjoy ourselves; 



18 THE master's call TO SERVICE. 

but we must make a distinction between 
that which is lawful and that which is not, 
between harmless and harmful pleasures, 
between that which is sinful and that 
which is not. It is very easy to distin- 
guish the moral character of some plea- 
sures. They are manifestly so good or 
so evil that their moral character is de- 
termined at first sight. But there are 
some pleasures so near the line that 
separates the good from the evil, that it is 
hard to decide on which side of the line 
they are. A man who is looking for a 
tw^elve-foot board, knows at first sight 
that a sixteen-foot board is too long, and 
that an eight-foot board is too short; but 
when a board appears very near the re- 
quired length, then it is necessary to care- 
fully measure the board. So there are 
some places of amusement so wicked in 
their nature that they are shunned by 
those who have respect for themselves; 
to this class belong drinking and gambling 
dens, houses of ill-fame and name; and 
halls where infidelity and anarchy are 
hatched and fostered. It requires no 
process of reasoning to convince us that 
such places should be avoided. 



TRUE AND FALSE APPEAL. 19 

Then there are other places that are 
manifestly not only innocent, but helpful 
and beneficial. This is true of civil 
social gatherings, literary institutes, the 
Sunday School, the Christian Endeavor 
meetings and church gatherings for public 
worship. The call to attend these places 
we should respect, and promptly respond 
to. But there are places of pretended 
amusements, which are very questionable. 
To this class belong the theatre, the danc- 
ing halls and a certain class of modern 
Club rooms; the Sunday sacred concert 
held in the Park under the auspices of 
some trolley line. We know that these are 
delicate questions to consider, but they 
are important and vital to our best inter- 
ests. 

The idea of a good time is different 
with different persons. To one it means 
vice; to another Christian service. To 
some these questionable places appear 
so near right that they can scarcely see 
any wrong in them. Perhaps they could 
discriminate if they would ask themselves 
such questions as these: Does going to 
the theatre or dance produce any good 
results.^ Does it assist me to read my 



20 THE master's call TO SERVICE. 

Bible and to live a Christian life? Am 
I spiritually benefited by attending such 
places ? Do they introduce me to the 
best society? If Jesus were a guest at 
my house, would I feel that the dancing 
hall or theatre is the right place to take 
Him? Can I ask God's blessing upon 
such a place ? 

Rev. W. Romaine, being asked to play 
cards, made no objection and when they 
w^ere produced said: ''Let us ask the 
blessing of God." ''Ask the blessing of 
God at a game of cards!" exclaimed the 
lady, "I never heard of such a thing." 
Mr. Romaine replied: "Ought we to en- 
gage in anything on which we cannot 
ask His blessing?" That ended the 
game. 

A lady church-member who had been 
to the theatre, said to her pastor, "I wish 
you could have been there." Then 
immediately added, "but I should have 
been sorry to have seen you there. " Our 
liking of a thing is often a test of charac- 
ter. Tell me what you like, and I will 
tell you what you are. 

We should weigh all questionable 
amusements in the scale of God's Word. 



TRUE AND FALSE APPEAL. 21 

We should be sincere, and determine 
the moral character of questionable places 
by the teaching and spirit of Christ. 

In the selection of our reading matter, 
as papers, magazines and books we should 
be very careful. There are many books 
that are flashy in their bindings, and fasci- 
nating in their contents, but are poisonous 
in their results. The country is literally 
flooded with trashy literature, and while 
it seems to please the reader, it fosters a 
false taste for reading and morally weak- 
ens him. The reading of a wild romance 
has led many a boy to forsake the good 
established ways of life to pursue a phan- 
tom in the far West, and confirm him in 
his wandering disposition and habits. 
The reading of novels and mere love 
stories, has perverted the taste of many a 
young lady; she thereby formed and 
fostered wrong conceptions of life and 
departed from her own true mission as a 
woman. Nothing will foster a false and 
artificial life like the reading of light 
literature, and particularly the sensa- 
tional novels of our day. 

In this age of sham and deception, one 
cannot be too careful in the selection of 



22 THE master's call to service. 

reading matter for the home. My heart 
has often been pained at seeing the best 
Uterature of the church discarded, and 
trashy literature admitted into the home. 
If the Master were to appear in some of 
our homes as he did in the Temple, 
He would condemn our hurtful games 
and much of our light literature, and cast 
them out. We should admit into our 
homes only such literature as inculcates 
proper ideas and principles, and which 
tends to edify and uplift the reader; such 
literature will not only improve the mind 
and the morals, but will develop true 
manhood and womanhood. 

Books are intellectual companions and 
we cannot be too careful in making our 
choice of them. In testing the moral 
character of any book, we should consider 
it in the light of God's spirit and Truth. 
Is the book in harmony with God's Word ? 
If it is antagonistic to His Word and 
Spirit, there is something wrong with it; 
it should find no response in our hearts 
or homes. 

In choosing our associates, we should 
be very careful. The Bible is very ex- 
plicit on this subject ''What communion 



TRUE AND FALSE APPEAL. 23 

hath light with darkness?'' 2 Cor. 6: 14. 
''Enter not into the path of the wicked, 
and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid 
it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass 
away." Prov. 4: 14-15. Young people 
sometimes are not as careful as they should 
be in the selection of their associates. 
They usually discover their mistake when 
it is too late. Voltaire, the French infidel, 
with his dying breath cursed the compan- 
ion of his youth. 

Parents cannot be too careful in select- 
ing associates for their children. They 
are their divinely appointed guardians and 
should define their social limitations. 
Their parental experience and maturer 
judgment should have considerable 
weight in determining the associates of 
their children. Tell me with whom you 
associate and I will tell you what you are 
and what you are likely to become. A 
young man had better have few associates 
of the right kind, than many associates 
of questionable character. True social 
merit is based on quality and not on 
quantity. 

While we should not be exclusive, 
selfish, or bigoted, we should nevertheless 



24 THE master's call to service. 

be careful in the selection of our asso- 
ciates. It is true we must mingle with 
our fellowmen, and associate with them 
in business transactions, but we should 
fix a limit to our associations with men 
of the world. Christ mingled with Publi- 
cans and Sinners. He even sat with them 
and ate with them, but He was not of 
them, or one Vvdth them in their sins. 
He mingled with them to do them good, 
but He did not select them as His daily 
companions. His twelve disciples were 
His chosen companions. So we must be 
in the world and mingle with our fellow- 
men, irrespective of their moral character, 
but w^e must not be of the world, or make 
the wicked our daily companions or 
associates. 

God at one time said concerning Israel, 
''Their heart is divided: now shall they 
be found faulty." Hosea 10: 2. A 
divided heart is the secret of many wrecks 
in life; men are not willing to make a 
square and definite choice in rejecting the 
world and accepting the Lord Jesus 
Christ. 

As Jenny Lind with the Bible in her 
hand, was watching a sunset, she was 



TRUE AND FALSE APPEAL. 25 

asked why she forsook the theatre? 
Laying her finger on the Bible, she said: 
''When every day the theatre makes me 
think less of this blessed book and nothing 
of that glorious sun, what else could I 
do?" The moral test of a pursuit is 
whether it turns us to or from pursuits 
which God has chosen for us. We 
must distinguish between wheat and tares ; 
there are tares of speech, habits and im- 
pulses. There are tares in our readings, 
and tares in our social, political and 
religious life. 

When you see a dog following two men, 
you may not know to whom he belongs, 
but let them come to a parting road, and 
then you will know to whom he belongs; 
so at times, you and the world go hand 
in hand, but when you come to a parting 
road, God says this way, and the world 
says that way; your decision determines 
what you are. 

When corn is very young, it is hard to 
distinguish the blades from certain kinds 
of grass that grows in the rows, but a 
little later on the difference becomes more 
apparent. So it is with people in a com- 
munity; at first one may not be able to 



26 THE master's call to service. 

tell the bad from the good. They dress 
and act alike, but bye and bye you will 
observe that those who are striving for 
good will put on more and more the 
image of Christ. 



CHAPTER III. 

Regeneration Necessary to Right 
Discrimination. 

We are born into this world with a sin- 
ful nature which readily responds to its 
sinful overtures. ''The imagination of 
man's heart is evil from his youth. '' Gen. 
8: 21. ''We were, by nature, the child- 
ren of wrath.'; Eph. 2: 3. "Behold I 
was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my 
mother conceive me." Ps. 51: 5. "I 
know that in me dwelleth no good 
thing.'' Rom. 7: 18. Hence the tendency 
of human nature unregenerated, is to 
respond to that which is worldly and sin- 
ful. How important it is that human 
nature be changed! Hence Jesus said, 
"Except a man be born of water and of 
the spirit, he cannot enter into the king- 
dom of God." John 3: 5. 

By generation, or the natural birth, we 
were ushered into this world with a sin- 
ful nature which readily responds to its 
calls. By regeneration, or our spiritual 

27 



28 THE master's call to service. 

birth, we are born into the kingdom of 
grace and have a new nature imparted to 
us. "That which is born of the flesh is 
flesh; and that which is born of the spirit 
is spirit. Marvel not that I say unto 
thee, ve must be born again." John 3: 
6-7. 

Regneration is the change of man's 
moral nature. An apple in its green 
state is bitter, and in its ripe state is sweet 
and palatable. The waters of Marah in 
their natural state were bitter, and in 
their improved state were sweet. Ex. 15 : 
23-25. A tree in its wild state may be 
fruitless, but in its grafted state, it is 
fruitful. So when the moral nature of 
man is changed by God's spirit, we have 
regeneration. He is the same man, but 
his moral nature is changed. ''There- 
fore if any man be in Christ, he is a new 
creature; old things are passed away; 
behold, all thing's are become new." 2 
Cor. 5: 17. So great is the chang:e in the 
regenerated man that he now loves that 
which he once hated and hates that 
which he once loved. He is converted, 
turned about; he has new tastes and as- 
pirations. 



RIGHT DISCRIMINATION. 29 

There is a great similarity between the 
natural and the spiritual birth. By our 
first birth, we become partakers of human 
nature and its infirmities; by the second 
birth we partake of the divine nature. 
"Now if any man have not the spirit of 
Christ, he is none of his.'" Rom. 8: 9. 
By our natural birth, we are brought into 
the natural world. By our spiritual 
birth we are brought into the kingdom 
of grace whose outward expression is the 
visible Christian Church. In the first 
birth we receive the image of our natural 
parents. In the second birth, we receive 
the image of the second Adam, Jesus 
Christ. '^As we have borne the image 
of the earthly, we shall also bear the 
image of the heavenly." 1 Cor. 15: 49. 
In the first birth we possess all the powers 
and faculties of manhood in embryo. 
In the second birth, we have all the Chris- 
tian graces in embryo; and it is our duty 
to develop them. 

Regeneration is a mysterious change. 
We cannot understand how the nature of 
fruit is changed from green to ripe, from 
sour to sweet; nor do we understand the 
process of generation, much less of re- 



30 THE master's call TO SERVICE. 

generation. ''The wind bloweth where 
it Ksteth, and thou hearest the sound 
thereof, but canst not tell whence it 
cometh, and whither it goeth; so is every 
one that is born of the spirit. " John 3 : 8. 

This change is visible in its effects. It 
will be manifest to the world; it will be 
seen in the language, temper and life of 
the individual. The change is divine. 
No education, culture or parental in- 
fluence can effect it. ''Can the Ethio- 
pian change his skin, or the leopard his 
spots, then may ye also do good, that are 
accustomed to do evil." Jer. 13: 23. 
God alone works this change; hence it is 
called, "Born of the Spirit." "Born of 
God.'\ 

The importance of this change of heart 
has been recognized in past ages. Jere- 
miah says : " O Lord, I know that the way 
of man is not in himself, it is not in man 
that walketh to direct his steps." Jer. 
10: 23. Solomon says, "There is a way 
which seemeth right unto a man, but the 
end thereof are the ways of death." 
Prov. 14: 12. Because the heart is na- 
turally evil and prone to sin, David 
prayed: "Create in me a clean heart, O 



RIGHT DISCRIMINATION. 31 

God, and renew a right spirit within me. " 
Ps. 51: 10. 

God has not abandoned us to our 
natural blindness; He has given us many 
precious promises of help and hope. 
Jesus says: ^'I am the light of the world; 
he that followeth me shall not walk in 
darkness, but shall have the light of life. " 
John 8: 12. Solomon says: ''Get wis- 
dom, get understanding; forget it not, 
neither decline from the words of my 
mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall 
preserve thee; love her and she shall keep 
thee." Prov. 4: 5-6. True wisdom is 
to experimentally know God. ''And 
this is life eternal, that they might 
know thee, the only true God, and Jesus 
Christ whom thou hath sent. " John 17:3. 

On one occasion Martha said to her 
sister Mary, "The Master calleth for 
thee.'' John 11: 28. And may not this 
be said of every unconverted person; 
Jesus of Nazareth is now passing through 
every land, and town, and by every home, 
and calling upon men and women every- 
where to repent and believe on Him as 
the Savior of the world. How gracious 
is the Master's invitation: "Come unto 



32 THE master's call to service. 

me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, 
and I will give you rest.'' Matt. 11: 28. 
''Whosoever will, let him take the water 
of life freely." Rev. 22: 17.^ ;^The sacri- 
fices of God are a broken spirit : a broken 
and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not 
despise." Ps. 51: 17. May we heed the 
Master's call to repentance and then we 
will experience the sentiment of the hymn: 

^^I heard the voice of Jesus say: 

Come unto me and rest ; 
Lay down, thou weay one, lay down 

Thy head upon my breast: 
I came to Jesus as I was, 

Weary, and worn, and sad; 
I found in him a resting place, 

And He hath made me glad/' 

A watch, being out of repair, was 
cleaned time and again, but still it w^ould 
not go. A Swiss adept took it and placed 
a new spring in it, then it ran regularly; 
so what we need for our lives is a renewed 
heart. A Jewish Rabbi once asked his 
scholars what was the best thing for a man 
to have if he would walk in the straight 
path. One said, ''A good disposition;" 
another, ''A good companion;'' a third, 
''Wisdom;" but, the fourth said, ''A 



RIGHT DISCRIMINATION. 33 

good heart." The Rabbi said: ''You 
are right, for a good heart will give a man a 
good disposition, make him a good com- 
panion and a wise man." 

Nature has many ways of cleansing the 
earth, and keeping it clean. She uses 
the gentle forces of dew, rain, snow, and 
light, but she also uses the powerful 
forces of wind, frost and fire. When we 
pray to God to keep our hearts clean, we 
should pray for whatever kind of cleansing 
he thinks best, gentle means or severe 
means; the promise is, ''All things work 
together for good to them that love God. " 
Rom. 8 : 28. It was this sanctified afflic- 
tion that enabled Paul to say, "We glory 
in tribulation also, knowing that tribula- 
tion worketh patience; and patience ex- 
perience; and experience hope; and hope 
maketh not ashamed; because the love 
of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the 
Holy Ghost which is given unto us." 
Rom. 5: 3-5. 

The invitation to accept Christ often 
comes in strange ways which are plainly 
Providential. One night a man who had 
been greatly moved by a revival sermon 
was pacing his room in agony, being 



34 THE master's call to service. 

conscience stricken and yet unwilling to 
surrender to Christ. No one was in the 
room but his little girl; at last she said: 
'"If you are dry, papa, why don't you get 
a drink of w^ater.^" The man was 
startled by this simple question, for the 
text of the sermon that moved him was: 
^^ Whosoever will, let him take of the water 
of life freely." The child's question 
was so reasonable and opportune that it 
led him to Christ. 

At the celebration of King Edward's 
coronation, a dinner was given to thou- 
sands of the poor of London; it was given 
them because they were poor. If any 
one was too proud to call himself poor, 
he shut himself out of the feast. In the 
same way God's invitation is given to 
sinners, and whoever accepts it, must con- 
fess himself to be a sinner and in need. 
There are two ways of being rude and 
ungrateful when an invitation is sent to 
us; one is by sending an unkind answer, 
and the other is by ignoring it altogether, 
the latter being fully as rude as the first. 
It is in this way that most men reject 
Christ. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Man is Made for a Purpose. 

It is very evident that God had a design 
in creating us as He did ; He made us for a 
purpose. In studying the various parts 
of a tree we learn that the roots, Kke feet, 
hold the tree to the ground. The root- 
lets absorb moisture and nutrition from 
the soil. The trunk is round so that it 
can more easily resist the pressure of the 
wind. The branches bear fruit and the 
leaves act as lungs for the tree ; everything 
about the tree is of some use, although we 
may not fully know or understand it. So 
it is with the animal; he has feet upon 
which he can stand, or by which he can 
walk. He has eyes to see and ears to 
hear; his body is covered with fur or wool 
to keep him warm. So too, if we con- 
sider man physically, we will see that 
everything in the human body is for a 
wise purpose. The nails at the ends of 
our fingers and toes protect these mem- 
bers. The bones of the body keep the 

35 



36 THE master's call to service. 

different parts in place and are the means 
of strengthening the whole physical 
structure. The bitter wax in the ears is 
a protection of these delicate organs from 
the intrusion of insects; the eyelids pro- 
tect the eyes. Every bone, muscle and 
nerve has its proper use. 

So it is with man's spiritual nature; he 
has a memory to retain and recall facts, 
a reason to deliberate and draw conclu- 
sions, and a will to execute the decrees of 
the mind. He has the passion of love 
as well as hate, to express the feeling of 
his heart. He has not only the five natur- 
al senses by which he communicates with 
the outer world, but he also has a moral 
sense, the conscience, by which he deter- 
mines the moral qualities of words and 
actions. Well has David said: ^'I am 
fearfully and wonderfully made. " Ps. 139 : 
14. As every part of a watch is intended 
to fulfill some important place in its 
mechanism, and the watch itself is intend- 
ed to fill the mission of timekeeper, so 
all the powers of body and soul in man 
have their use; and man himself is to 
serve some great purpose in the Provi- 
dence of God. Man is made, not merely 



MAN IS MADE FOR A PURPOSE. 37 

to respond to the appeals of pleasure from 
the world, but God has created him for 
higher and nobler purposes. He was 
created for service. To fill some active 
mission in the world, to be a part of God's 
plan in the economy of this world. 

While we should not, in the pride of 
our hearts, overestimate ourselves, neither 
should we from a false modesty under- 
estimate ourselves. Some people are 
sleeping giants. They would be a power 
for good if they would only wake up and 
go to work. We should have faith in our- 
selves and in our possibilities. Three 
hundred years ago, savages roamed over 
this land of ours, ignoring the lumber and 
coal, neglecting its iron, silver and gold, 
ignorant even of the value of the land 
itself. To-day enormous wealth lies in 
the hands of those who developed these 
material resources. So every young man 
and every young lady has great resources 
within himself and herself, which God 
has entrusted to them as his stewards. 
In the makeup of our being, in our en- 
vironments and opportunities, God has 
entrusted us with talents which we are to 
improve. 'And unto one he gave five 



38 THE master's call to service. 

talents, to another two, and to another 
one ; to every man according to his several 
ability." Matt. 25: 15. These talents, 
however few or small they may be, we are 
to use for the glory of God. 

There w^as a one-armed deaf boy in an 
Industrial School in Philadelphia, who 
was taught to make hammocks; so zealous 
was he in his trade, that he was not satis- 
fied until he had taught thirty boys to 
make them. If half a boy could do so 
much, how^ much ought you to do ? There 
was a poor child, w^ho in early life, was 
deformed so that she was no longer able 
to run about in active life; she sat by the 
open window in her room and wrote 
passages of Scripture on slips of paper and 
tossed them out of the window; on one 
slip she wTote this passage: ''I must work 
the works of Him that sent me, while it is 
day, the night cometh when no man can 
work.'' John 9: 4. She leaned out of 
the window and dropped it; it fell on the 
brim of a man's hat. The man reached 
up and felt it; he opened it and read it; it 
was the means of his conversion. So 
there is not a man or woman on earth 
who has not the power to do good. 



MAN IS MADE FOR A PURPOSE. 39 

When you talk with the farmer in the 
field, or loiter with the mechanic at the 
work bench, or come in social contact 
with men on the train or steamboat, have 
you not observed that every one of them 
seems to have a talent which you do not 
possess ? So diversified is the distribu- 
tion of talents among men. What men 
need is not talent, but purpose; in other 
words, it is not ability they need, but the 
will to do. 

On one occasion a Christian man w^as 
walking along the street a short distance 
with a boy of his acquaintance when he 
said to the boy: ''Well, Frank, what are 
you doing with your life ? What do you 
mean to make of yourself ?'' Years after- 
ward the boy, who had become a prosper- 
ous man, said: ''Those words altered my 
entire life; I was drifting." The ques- 
tion of that Christian gentleman led that 
boy to reflect over his follies, and to deter- 
mine to improve his time and opportuni- 
ties. 

When Norman McLeod was a boy he 
was much discouraged, and in a fit of 

Eetulance said: "I wish I had never been 
orn. '' His pious mother said: "Nor- 



40 THE master's call TO SERVICE. 

man, you have been born, and if you were 
a wise child, you would ask the Lord 
what you were born for/' He took the 
advice of his mother and discovered God's 
plan for his life. 

A minister once called to see a boy in 
the hospital who had lost his right hand; 
he was calmly lying on his back with the 
stump of his right arm on a pillow, while 
in his left he was holding a book from 
which he was studying a new line of work 
that he could follow one-handed; he had 
a noble ambition to live for a purpose. 

Elizabeth Fry has left on record the 
secret of her amazing usefulness. ''Since 
at the age of seventeen my heart was 
touched, I believe I have never awakened 
from sleep, in sickness or health, by day 
or night, without my first waking thought 
being how best I might serve my Lord. " 

It is surprising what consecrated men 
can do. Moses delivered the Hebrew 
nation from Egyptian slavery; David 
raised Israel to a first-class nation. John 
Wiclif translated the Bible into English 
and paved the way for the Reformation. 
Columbus discovered America. Oliver 
Cromwell saved England from the abuse 



MAN IS MADE FOR A PURPOSE. 41 

of royal authority. John Knox secured 
Scotland from the throne that was per- 
verting her. History is full of illustra- 
tions of what one consecrated person can 
do. 

Daniel Webster was asked by a friend 
what the greatest thought was that had 
ever impressed his mind; he said: ''The 
greatest thought that has ever impressed 
me is the thought of my personal responsi- 
bility to Almighty God." So when we 
consider what we are as creatures of God, 
when we consider the mechanism of our 
bodies and the powers of the mind, we 
realize that God created us for a purpose, 
and we, like Webster, should feel our 
personal responsibility to our Creator. 



CHAPTER V. 

God Has a Mission for Every One. 

Not only has God made us for a purpose 
but He has also provided a sphere in 
which we are to exercise our gifts and 
powers. The water is the proper element 
for the fish, the air for the bird, the forest 
for the wild beast and the mead for the 
grazing cattle, but the sphere for human 
activity is almost limitless. 

We should remember that God very 
extensively works through human instru- 
mentality. He has given us a natural 
world to live in, with its infinite resources, 
and he makes use of human beings to 
develop these natural resources. 

The earth in its bosom contains coal, 
oil, gas, iron, copper, silver and gold; 
but it is through human instrumentality 
that these are extracted and utilized. 
The miner who works in the dark mine is 
filling an important mission; and while 
his calling is dangerous, it is divine. God 
placed the coal deep in the earth that 

42 



A MISSION FOR EVERY ONE. 43 

man might in due time discover and ex- 
tract it. Think of the vast field of 
employment God has provided for man 
in the mining of our useful minerals. 

The soil is made to produce, but it 
must be placed under cultivation that it 
may bring forth vegetables, grain and 
fruit; hence it is the divine will that some 
should be tillers of the soil. A large part 
of mankind are called to labor in the fields 
of agriculture, where cotton, rice, corn, 
oats, and wheat are produced. In the 
production of food for mankind, not only 
must the soil be cultivated, but the great 
rivers, lakes and sea must be exploited 
for their great stores of food; hence many 
are called to be fishermen. 

The timbers in our great forests must 
be felled, logged and sawed into lumber 
for the use of man; hence many are called 
to be woodmen. 

Much of the crude products of the 
earth must be manufactured into various 
articles suited to the needs of mankind, 
hence we must have furnaces and rolling 
mills, cotton and woolen factories, planing 
mills, shoe factories, flour mills, oil refin- 
eries, etc. God has a place for many 



44 THE master's call to service. 

men, women and children in these various 
industries, and those who are called upon 
to toil in these various departments of 
labor should feel that they are filling a 
divinely appointed mission. 

The great rivers, lakes, seas and oceans 
are intended to be means of traffic be- 
tween men and nations; hence boatmen 
and seamen are filling divinely appointed 
missions. 

That a nation may be able to repel an 
invading enemy and preserve peace, an 
army and navy seem to be necessary, 
hence the soldiers should feel that they 
are filling an important mission. 

What a vast field is open in the sphere 
of skilled labor to the carpenter, mason, 
blacksmith, miller, miner, painter and 
printer. What a vast field is open in the 
professional world to the stenographer, 
teacher, physician, lawyer and minister. 

As time advances, new avenues of use- 
fulness are opening up. In the primitive 
ages, human activity was very limited, 
but with the progressive ages come new 
avenues of activity. The Divine Master 
calls men and women to these different 
spheres of human activity, and happy are 



A MISSION FOR EVERY ONE. 45 

they who feel that they have responded 
to the Master's call in entering upon their 
divinely appointed trade or profession. 

God has endowed us with intellectual 
powers; these must be called forth and 
developed; hence many are called to be 
teachers and educators. Some are en- 
dowed with talents for music and fine art, 
hence teachers in these special branches 
are needed also. Every sphere has its 
call for laborers. It may not be an audi- 
ble call, but it is nevertheless the silent 
call of necessity, and God is back of that 
call. Passing a hut on a mountain side, 
Mr. Moody saw some girls of school age 
braiding straw hats. After talking with 
them his heart was moved to provide a 
school for just such girls. Northfield 
Seminary with its hundreds of students^ 
and Mt. Hermon School for boys, are the 
result of that little incident. What led 
Mr. Carnegie to establish libraries ? Col- 
onel Anderson of Allegheny, Pa., a suc- 
cessful iron manufacturer, was in his 
library every Saturday to loan books to 
working men and boys. Andrew Car- 
negie was one of those boys, and he re- 
solved then that if ever he became wealthy 



46 THE master's call to service. 

he would use his surplus in imitating his 
benefactor. The Carnegie libraries that 
have sprung up all over the world is the 
result. When one man enlarges his ser- 
vices it leads others to do the same. Cyrus 
Field became great because he saw the 
need of closer communication across the 
sea. He heard the call of the Atlantic 
ocean. Garrison heard the call of the 
oppressed slave. Howard became great 
because he heard the call of the prison. 

Florence Nightingale became great be- 
cause she heard the call of the sick soldiers 
in the Crimea. Everv professional nurse 
who is giving her best days to the care of 
the sick, is serving that Master who while 
on earth ministered to the sick and afflict- 
ed, and that daughter who denies herself 
of the bliss and contentment of a married 
life, and remains single to care for her 
aged father and mother is filling a praise- 
worthy and honorable position. Stand- 
ing in front of a noble cathedral in Co- 
logne, a lady overheard some one say: 
''Didn't we do a fine piece of work here ?'' 
Turning quickly she saw that the speaker 
was a man wearing the plainest working 
clothes, and she said to him: ''Pray, 



A MISSION FOR EVERY ONE. 47 

what did you do about it ?" He replied, 
''I mixed the mortar for two years across 
the street.'' If those of us w^ho seem to 
have very humble work to do, could 
realize that we are sharers in God's great 
plan, we would be more faithful and 
happy. How true the adage: 

^' Honor and fame from no condition rise. 
Act well your part, there all the honor lies.'' 

When Solomon's Temple was built, 
all stones were brought from the quarry, 
cut and dressed, and marked where to be 
placed. Among the stones was one of 
queer shape; it appeared unfit for any 
part of the building and it was thrown 
away. It became moss-covered. When 
the Temple w^as about to be completed, 
the cry was raised: ''Where is the top 
stone .^ Where is the pinnacle .^ " Then 
they discovered that the rejected stone 
was the needed stone. Then ''the stone 
which the builders disallowed, the same 
is made the head of the corner." 1 Peter 
2:7. So it was with Christ, and so it is 
often with men. 

While the true mission of one man may 
appear to himself and others obscure for 



48 THE master's call to service. 

a time, the mission of another person may 
be from early life very apparent to all. 
An inventor at the Chicago World's Fair 
was looking for his boy. A friend sug- 
gested that he might find him in the 
' ' Midway 5 ' ' a place of amusement. ' ' No, 
said the father, '^I will try the electric 
building. That boy of mine thinks elec- 
tricity, reads electricity, talks electricity, 
and though he is only thirteen years old, 
he understands electricity far better than 
I do steam. I can handle that, but elect- 
ricity is too much for me. " The boy was 
found in the upper room of the Electrical 
Building among a group of specialists in 
electrical science, who had met by ap- 
pointment to inspect the recent inventions. 
It was quite evident that God had a special 
mission for that boy, and that was, to be 
an electrician. 



CHAPTER VI. 

In the Selection of an Occupation 
We Should Seek His Counsel. 

As God has created and endowed us 
for some special mission, we should en- 
deavor to discover it and enter upon it. 
Before Garibaldi gave himself to the cause 
of Italy, he spent a whole day with his 
head bowed upon a table, locked in his 
room. He was planning the great achiev- 
ment of his life. First of all he had to get 
his own personal consent to give himself 
to the cause. He said later: ''The hap- 
piest night I ever spent was that night 
after I had made up my mind, let come 
what would, that my life should be spent 
in the cause of Italy's liberation from the 
Pope's authority." 

There are many who fail in life because 
they do not discover and enter their di- 
vinely appointed sphere. Men have tried 
different occupations and failed; they then 
conclude that the fates are against them, 
or attribute their failure to bad luck. 

49 



50 THE master's call TO SERVICE. 

They either fail to pursue their calling 
properly, or they miss it. 

Wilson, the great ornithologist, failed 
in five professions before he found that his 
true life work was the study of birds. 
Barnum tried fourteen different occupa- 
tions before he ascertained that he was a 
born showman. Josh Billings failed as 
farmer and auctioneer, but found his true 
mission in comic literature. Phillips 
Brooks failed as a teacher in the Brooklyn 
Latin schools, but became the greatest 
preacher and spiritual leader of his time. 
It is said that Gladstone killed himself 
politically five times, and then rose to 
supreme power to live forever in the hearts 
of his countrymen. President Roosevelt 
was shelved an equal number of times to 
get him out of the way of the bosses, but 
each time he appeared again in a higher 
position than before. A true man may be 
put down, but he will rise again. 

We have occasionally seen a man take 
up a trade and failed in it. Then he 
tried another and failed; he finally tried a 
third and succeeded admirably; he thus 
at last found his proper calling. 

A. T. Stewart, the great New York 



SEEK HIS COUNSEL. 51 

merchant, was educated for the ministry, 
but became discouraged over his unfitness 
for the work and gave it up. He tried 
school teaching with no better success. 
He loaned a friend $70.00, and was ob- 
liged to take his shop for payment; with 
this he began his mercantile career. On 
the ruins of these three seeming failures, 
he built up his great business. 

Sometimes the task to which God calls 
us seems too great; we are appalled. 
Like Moses we say: ''Who am I, that I 
should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should 
bring forth the children of Israel out of 
Egypt .^" Ex. 3: 11. Luther felt appal- 
led when he recognized the greatness of 
the Reformation. Washington felt ap- 
palled at the Revolution and Lincoln at 
the Civil War; but these men put their 
trust in God and persevered and were 
successful in the end. A gentleman saw 
a little boy bending beneath a very heavy 
task, and said: ''You have a big load 
there." "Yes," the little fellow answer- 
ed, "but I will get there." He became a 
successful business man. His "get there" 
meant grit. 

In choosing an occupation, the question 



52 THE master's call to service. 

should not be, ''Which pays the best/' 
but, where am I needed the most? To 
make money for Christ is a noble mission, 
but unless you are sure it is for Christ, it 
may be only a trap of Satan. If you serve 
God wholly, you will not worry about 
money matters. Some who see that they 
cannot serve God and mammon at the 
same time, think they will serve mammon 
first and promise to serve God later on 
with the money they receive, but Christ 
never received tribute from Satan. 

In choosing a trade or profession one 
cannot be too careful. Various trades and 
professions will present themselves to 
the mind of a young man bent on learning 
a trade or entering a profession. He 
should carefully discriminate between a 
false and a true call. The selection of 
a trade or profession is very much like 
selecting securities for investment. Many 
securities offered to the public are very 
flattering and look well, but are mere 
shams. They have no financial backing, 
and the investor is sure to lose all he in- 
vests in them. It is only by thorough 
investigation that one can discriminate 
between the false and the true securities. 



SEEK HIS COUNSEL. 53 

So is it in choosing an occupation for life; 
many trades and professions are fascinat- 
ing and misleading. Sometimes we see 
one side, but do not see the other until 
it is too late. 

In determining one's calling, two things 
are absolutely necessary to consider: the 
requirements of the trade or profession and 
our qualifications for it. A disregard of 
this principle has led to many failures. 
He who is slow and erroneous in arith- 
metic would not make a bank accountant. 
He who has a natural dislike for rural 
life, would not make a good farmer. He 
who has not a mechanical eye, would not 
make a machinist, and he who is naturally 
careless should not study to be an elec- 
trician. He who has an antipathy for 
the sick room, should not study for the 
medical profession. ''Know thyself," 
was a maximum of the great Thales. 
While perhaps no one is by nature fully 
qualified to enter a trade or profession, 
yet it is important that the individual 
has certain natural endowments which 
can be improved and developed into a 
state of comparative proficiency. 

Certain qualifications are necessary to 



54 THE master's call to service. 

the mercantile business. Some men are 
very successful in this sphere, while others 
are perfect failures; the same is seen in 
the legal, medical and ministerial profes- 
sion. To miss one's calling is a great 
misfortune; in most cases it puts one out 
for life. Every individual should be deep- 
ly concerned in determining his life occu- 
pation; he should ask himself such ques- 
tions as these: What am I in temper- 
ament and disposition.^ What are my 
gifts and talents ? For what mission has 
God qualified me ? He should read much 
on the subject, and consult his parents 
and teachers, who perhaps know him bet- 
ter than he knows himself. 

But, above all, he should ask God to 
assist him to decide what trade or pro- 
fession he should choose; he should go to 
his Maker who understands him best, 
with this inquiry: ''Lord, what wilt Thou 
have me to do.^" If he makes God his 
confidant and counsellor, he will receive 
an impression on his mind that will direct 
him as to what course he should pursue. " 
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of 
God, that giveth to all men liberally, and 
upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." 



SEEK HIS COUNSEL. 55 

James 1:5. Let not fancy or flattery 
delude you in the choice of your occupa- 
tion, but honestly labor to solve the great 
question of your life; be sure and make 
God your counselor, and you will soon 
know what His will is. 

There are many misfits in this world; 
not only do we see them in dress, but in 
trades and professions as well. A man 
who is not suited to his trade is a miser- 
able failure, and must work to great dis- 
advantage, but the man who is suited to 
his profession will experience an ease and 

Pleasure which he could not otherwise 
ave. Too many are not honest to them- 
selves and their highest interest in the 
selection of a trade or profession; they 
are inclined to look only at its bright side; 
they do not count the cost, hence when 
they enter a chosen sphere of activity, 
they do not find it as they had expected 
to; they meet with unexpected obstacles 
and their failure to cope successfully with 
them, causes them to become discouraged; 
they lose heart and interest, and are miser- 
able failures, all because they did not 
carefully and prayerfully consider their 
own qualifications and the will of God. 



56 THE master's call to service. 

Thus, not a few, at first sight, are apt to 
underestimate the requirements of a trade 
or profession, and overestimate their own 
ability and discover their weakness when 
it is too late. Being so responsive to a 
call, and more impulsive than cautious 
and considerate, many have made ship- 
wreck of their lives, and blighted their 
prospects for usefulness and success. 
As we are shortsighted and have clouded 
minds, how^ important it is that w^e consult 
the God of Wisdom, and listen to the 
Master's call. 

The question of one's future occupa- 
tion, if possible, should be settled early in 
life. No young man should be at ease 
until he has settled this important matter. 
The failure to solve this question early in 
life often leads to a fruitless life. To 
make the best of life, we must know early 
our life mission; one of the most regretful 
experiences of many is to realize that they 
should have entered upon their true mis- 
sion earlier in life. 

A little girl often followed her father 
around asking this question: ''Father, 
what can I do.^" And she was never 
happier than when he gave her something 



SEEK HIS COUNSEL. 57 

to do for him. Once he said, ''Child, 
why do you ask that question so much ?'' 
''Oh, Papa," she answered, with tears 
welHng in her eyes, "because I can't 
help it.'' Were this our attitude toward 
God and His service, the opportunities to 
serve Him would be cheerfully embraced. 

The crew of a storm-driven ship was 
half frantic for water; at last another ship 
passed by and they cried: "Water! water 
we are perishing with thirst." The 
answer came "Dip down into the ocean. " 
The ship had drifted into the fresh water 
of the Amazon; so there are many who are 
longing for a fresh start; a new chance, 
who have the opportunities every day of 
their lives, if they will reach out and take 
them. 

As we study the book of the World's 
Biographers, we find little trace of luck 
upon its pages. Gladstone worked 
eleven hours a day even in his youth. 
Pasteur, the great French scientist, work- 
ed whole days and nights in his laboratory. 
Agassiz copied book after book that he 
needed, but could not buy, and learned 
them in the copying. Prescott, the his- 
torian, almost wholly blind, traced out 



58 THE master's call to service. 

his notes with great care and labor, and 
spent ten years on one book. Lincoln 
worked all day at the hardest manual 
labor and studied by the fire light, hour 
after hour. Greatness is no sudden or 
unearned affair; it is the victory of a 
powerful nature, developed by thorough 
preparation. 

We should love our calling for the 
Master's sake. A little girl was carrying 
a small boy, when a passer-by asked her 
if the boy was not too heavy. She re- 
plied: ''Oh no, he is my brother." It 
was love for her little brother that made 
the burden light; so love for the Master, 
who appoints our tasks, will make them 
light also. 

For every ocean steamer, there are 
thousands of insignificant crafts that 
carry the world's commerce. For every 
great general there are thousands of com- 
mon soldiers who do the fighting; and for 
every famous superintendent, there are 
thousands of humble men and women, 
who by their faithfulness and loyalty, 
do the work; so it is faithfulness in our 
humble sphere of life, where the greatest 
victories are achieved for the master. 



SEEK HIS COUNSEL. 59 

Let every one faithfully do his duty in 
the sphere to which Providence has ap- 
pointed him, and he will best answer the 
purpose of his being. 



CHAPTER VII. 

In the Selection of a Life Com- 
panion, We Should Consult 
His Will. 

In selecting a companion for life, it is 
very important that we make the proper 
choice. Our hearts are made sick at 
reading the many applications for divorce 
that appear in the dailies. How many 
ill-mated marriages have we seen within 
the range of our observation. We believe 
there should be fewer divorces and less 
ill-mated couples. It is an unpleasant 
thought, that two persons, who are not 
congenial, should be obliged to live to- 
gether as long as they both shall live, but 
is it not possible in such cases to learn to 
love each other? Is not a change of 
attitude toward each other, or perhaps 
what is better, a revival of the earlier 
affections, possible ? Young people can- 
not be too careful in their selection of 
a life companion. 

60 



CONSULT HIS WILL. 61 

A young man should study well the 
young lady of his choice, and be satisfied 
as to her health, sanity, disposition, help- 
fulness, affection, education and charac- 
ter, before he commits himself to her; 
then, if satisfied with the lady, he should 
look at his own heart and ask himself 
such questions as these: Am I worthy of 
her? Do I really love her? Is my love 
true, lasting and undivided, or is it spas- 
modic, fluctuating and divided ? Then, 
too, the Divine Master's will should be 
consulted. The immortal soul and a life 
companion are the highest interests of an 
individual, hence how important to ask 
God's counsel in this important matter! 

The young lady has the same reason 
for being careful in the selection of a life 
companion. How many have made a 
wretched choice; they are unequally yoked 
together. Thus a lady may be tied to a 
man who has no manly principles or in- 
stincts, — a man in whom the animal or 
brute nature predominates. Oh! how 
our hearts have ached for many a disap- 
pointed lady. Once she was pure and 
true, worthy of the choicest man, but she 
has been beguiled into a snare and has 



62 THE master's call to service. 

fallen a victim to the worst kind of slavery. 
When a woman of innocence, purity and 
love, is joined in wedlock to a human 
brute, she certainly is in a sad dilemma; 
the only thing she perhaps can do, is to 
make the best of her unhappy lot and try 
very hard to improve her condition. 
The proper and safest thing is to look into 
the matter thoroughly at the beginning 
of courtship, before she takes the fatal 
step. 

No young lady should assume the role 
of a candidate for marriage. She should 
shrink from any such demonstration; her 
modesty should teach her to be retired 
and reserved in her matrimonial senti- 
ments, and while in this reserved mood, 
she is in the best possible condition to 
judge the young man who seeks her hand. 
She should be like a citadel, and only 
yield to the advances of a young man, 
w^hen he, by his modesty, gentleness and 
sense of honor, proves himself w^orthy of 
her. The haste to get rich has proved 
the ruination of many a young man, and 
the haste to get married has proved the 
ruination of many a young lady. Do not 
be in too much of a hurry to get married; 



CONSULT HIS WILL. 63 

your manifested haste would be consid- 
ered an objection to you, by most worthy 
young men. You had better not marry 
at all than be ill-mated. Paul says: 
''Those who marry shall have trouble in 
the flesh.'' 1 Cor. 7: 28. If this is true 
concerning those who marry well, what 
must be the troubles of those who are 
unequally yoked together, and who do 
not afford each other mutual sympathy 
and support. George Eliot says in one 
of her writings, " It is better to be an old 
maid, than an old fool. " 

Seek God's will in this important mat- 
ter; He is willing and ready to help: ''I 
will yet for this be inquired of. " Ezekiel 
36: 37. We fear too many neglect to 
consult the Master in their contemplated 
marriage. If God teaches the birds of 
the air, and the beasts of the field, when 
and where to mate, much more will he 
teach you in this important matter, if you 
ask him. A brother once made this 
humble and simple statement to the wri- 
ter: ''After waiting a reasonable time 
after the death of my first wife, I prayed 
the Lord to direct my heart to a good 
woman; in due time my heart was directed 



64 THE master's call to service. 

to a proper person and when I knew what 
the will of the Lord was, I spared no time 
in wooing and winning her." I might 
add, that no two persons, perhaps, live 
more happily together in their wedded 
life than this brother and his companion. 
This brother can justly say with Burke: 
''Every care vanishes the moment I 
enter my roof." 

The family is the foundation of the 
government, and is essential to perpe- 
tuate the human race, hence the father 
and mother, who are rearing a family 
and are ministering to its wants, should 
feel that they are fulfilling a divinely ap- 
pointed mission; in thus entering the 
domestic sphere, they are responding to 
the Master's call. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

In the Moral Conflicts of Life, We 
Should Vindicate His Principles. 

There are practically two kingdoms on 
earth; the kingdom of light and the king- 
dom of darkness, of truth and of error, 
of righteousness and unrighteousness. 
The one is the kingdom of Christ, the 
other of Satan. The forces of these two 
kingdoms are opposed to each other; a 
great battle is constantly being waged 
between the servants of righteousness and 
the servants of unrighteousness. 

This moral conflict is constantly tak- 
ing place in the business w^orld. Many 
are the methods devised to take advan- 
tage of a fellow man. Many business 
transactions seem right and honest, but 
back of them is fraud and dishonesty in 
some delusive form. It is said of an 
ancient Grecian philosopher, that he 
went about in day time carrying a lantern. 
Some one asked him why he did this in 
day time. He replied: ''I am looking 
for an honest man." 

65 



66 THE master's call to service. 

A laborer was laying an asphalt walk, 
when some one near by began to speak, 
in glowing terms, about his employer. 
The laborer replied: ''Yes, he is a great 
church worker, and a pretty nice man, 
but he does not put enough tar into the 
walk." Every dishonest act is a victory 
for the Devil, and every honest act is a 
victory for Christ. We should be honest, 
not merely because it is the best policy, 
but because it is right, and is in accord 
with the principles and spirit of the 
Master. When a man is a new creature 
in Christ Jesus, he will be honest from 
principle and not merely from policy; in 
being honest in our dealings we glorify 
God and reflect the Master's spirit. It 
is said of a good man who died recently, 
that he was ready for his departure every 
night. Every bill was paid, or provision 
made for its settlement; one of his last 
nightly duties was to put his desk in order. 
Papers were filed, memorandums made 
for the morrow and letters answered and 
addressed for the morning mail. 

We are naturally selfish beings, and 
our selfish nature will often influence us 
in our business ; sometimes when we think 



VINDICATE HIS PRINCIPLES. 67 

we are honest, we may be influenced un- 
consciously by a selfish motive to do that 
which is not strictly honest. We all have 
occasion to pray: ''Who can understand 
his errors; cleanse Thou me from secret 
faults.'' Ps. 19: 12. 

How many men who had fine social 
standing, and who apparently stood well 
in the community, have been found guilty 
of embezzlement or defrauding, and thus 
have suddenly fallen from their eminence 
and became a disgrace to the community; 
but every man and woman who is hon- 
est and does right, is an honor to the com- 
munity and a credit to the Master. There 
are many true and honest men and 
women in the world whose business trans- 
actions have never been questioned; they 
may be quiet and unassuming persons, 
but they are known as truthful and hon- 
est persons. Every Christian should feel 
that he is to represent and exemplify the 
Christian graces in his business transac- 
tions. A house was being sold at auction; 
the bids rising to $5,000.00, stopped. 
The auctioneer said: ''Gentlemen, Henry 
McGovern built this house;" in a few 
minutes the bids rose to $6,700. The 



68 THE master's call to service. 

$1,700.00 was for the reputation of the 
builder. A man in Philadelphia went 
into a hardware store to buy a shovel; 
after trying one, he asked: '^Is this a 
first-class shovel.^" The merchant re- 
plied: ''My friend, you may notice that 
the shovel was made by George Griff eth. 
He is a Christian man and makes a Chris- 
tian shovel, and anything you see marked 
with his name, you may know to be just 
what it claims to be." It is said of 
Blucher, that when he was marching to 
help Wellington at Waterloo, his troops 
faltered and said: ''It can't be done." 
He replied: "It must be done; I have 
promised to be there and you must not 
make me break my promise." He was 
at Waterloo to good purpose; he would 
not be hindered, for his promise was given. 
Blucher had moral courage and rendered 
Wellington timely aid, without which the 
great battle of Waterloo might have been 
decided differently. 

An exemplary life in any community is 
a great power for good. Oh! if we could 
only realize what a silent influence we 
are exerting either for good or evil, we 
would be more guarded in our words and 
actions. 



VINDICATE HIS PRINCIPLES. 69 

When General Joseph E. Wheeler was 
a guest in a certain home, his host entered 
his room at night to bring him a glass of 
water and found him on his knees engaged 
in prayer; he apologized and the General 
replied: ''I think all of us ought to kneel 
before we retire, and thank our Maker for 
His mercies." A member of his staff 
said that during the Santiago campaign, 
he never retired at night without prayer 
and never rose in the morning without 
thanking God for his protection. What 
an example for us as it comes especially 
from a military man. 

The Master said: ''Let your light so 
shine before men, that they may see your 
good works, and glorify your Father 
which is in heaven. '' Matt. 5 : 16. There 
are many ways in which we may glorify 
our Heavenly Father in this world of sin, 
suffering and sorrow. A little street 
sweeper said to a well dressed boy who 
had bidden him a cheery good morning, 
as he passed, ''I like the looks of you; it 
makes me warm to have you pass by." 
Oh! that we all might by our cheerful 
greeting and kind words warm the hearts 
of those who are sad and desolate! A 



70 THE master's call TO SERVICE. 

farm house had stood empty for a long 
time. When the new occupants had been 
in it about a month, one of the family met 
a neighbor, who lived across the valley 
about a mile. This neighbor said: "We 
so much enjoy seeing the light in the win- 
dow of your house, for you always keep 
the curtains up on the side toward us, and 
we keep ours the same way now, so that 
you may enjoy our light." Are we let- 
ting our light shine to cheer others, or are 
the curtains down.^ A servant trying to 
describe a lady caller, said: ''She's the 
one that always smiles when she speaks.'' 

There is nothing so impressive in the 
moral world as example. Daniel Web- 
ster said that he could do fairly well in an 
argument against Christianity, but there 
was one thing he could never answer, and 
that was the beautiful life and character 
of old John Colby, a Christian uncle, who 
lived on a New Hampshire farm. Tho- 
luck, the great German Professor, was 
won from skepticism by living with Baron 
Von Kottwitz, whose silent every day 
influence he could not resist. 

The kindness of one person will often 
lead others to be considerate. On one 



VINDICATE HIS PRINCIPLES. 71 

occasion a poor woman was selling wares 
at a railroad station, but was making few 
sales. A kind lady led her to the radiator 
so she could get warm and brought her a 
cup of tea, and then she purchased some 
of her wares; then induced others to buy. 
This was practical Christianity. 

Margaret Fuller said: ''We should 
seek for the best and noblest in every one 
we meet and try to call it out by looking 
at everything through a kindly eye." 
Be not only strong, but helpful. If you 
are free from any acquired fault or moral 
weakness, be thankful, but do not indulge 
in pride. Let your gratitude take the 
form of sympathy for those who are less 
fortunate than yourself. 

One man throws away his fortune, an- 
other his chances of election, another his 
health, another his friends, another his 
time, strength and chances for improve- 
ment, but the most prodigal waster is the 
man who is throwing away his better and 
nobler self. Here is a chance to drive a 
close bargain, away goes a piece of con- 
science. An appeal for brotherly help- 
fulness clashes with self love. Political 
preferment offers a bribe for conformity 



72 THE master's call to service. 

to the world's standard of honor. So- 
ciety sets out the wine glass and the cards, 
and principles are thus thrown overboard. 
Some day the cry will go up: ''A man 
lost!" ^^ Where did he go.?" "He 
threw himself away by piece-meal." He 
did not become a castaway in a moment. 
Look out for the small bits of manhood, 
and the man will take care of himself. 



CHAPTER IX. 

We Are to Be Witnesses for Christ. 

Christ said: "Whosoever therefore 
shall confess me before men, him will I 
confess also before my Father which is 
in heaven. But whosoever shall deny 
me before men, him will I also deny before 
my father which is in Heaven. '' Matt. 10 : 
32-33. Many of the early Christians 
bore witness of Christ by the sacrifice of 
their homes, property, liberty and their 
own lives. The list of Christian martyrs 
is long, and their sufferings great: "Some 
were tortured, others had trial of cruel 
mockings and scourgings, of bonds and 
imprisonments; they were stoned, sawn 
asunder, tempted and slain with the 
sword; they wandered about in sheep 
skins; being destitute, afflicted and tor- 
mented." Heb. 11: 35-37. In our day 
we are not thus called upon to suffer 
for Christ's sake. Perhaps, if it were 
necessary, there are many who would 
seal their confession of Christ by their 

73 



74 THE master's call to service. 

blood, but there are many other ways to 
confess Him. We respond to the Master's 
call to confess Christ when we bring forth 
the fruits of the spirit: ''But the fruit of 
the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, 
gentleness, faith, meekness, temperance." 
Gal. 5: 22-23. ''In this the children of 
God are manifest." 1 John 3: 10. An 
exemplary life is a convincing w^itness for 
Christ. Bishop Warren was won to 
Christ by the testimony of an earnest 
Christian school mate, Joseph H. Mans- 
field. As they walked together on the 
hills of Wilberham, the room-mate 
warmly and lovingly urged him to make 
the decision that he knew to be his duty. 
It is by such testimony that we make our 
lives count. A convert once said: "It 
was the way Henry Drummond laid his 
hand on my shoulder and looked me in 
the face, that led me to Christ." 

One day MichaeLlngelo went to call on 
a friend, and not finding him at home, he 
took a piece of chalk and drew a circle on 
the door. When the owner of the house 
returned, he saw what had been done and 
said: "Michael Angelo has been here; no 
other man in Florence could have drawn 



WITNESSES FOR CHRIST. 75 

SO perfect a circle as this. " As that per- 
fect circle bore witness of Angelo, so may 
our lives bear witness for Christ. 

Of a certain lady, it is said: ''She was 
not remarkable for her beauty, culture or 
education; but when she passed away 
there was one beautiful thing said over 
and over: She was so pleasant to live 
with." The burdens of life are made 
lighter by people with whom it is pleasant 
to live. 

It is important that we improve the 
opportunities of witnessing for Christ as 
they come. Dr. William Wisner stopped 
at a farm house and asked for a drink of 
water. A young lady brought it to him 
on the porch where he sat. He entered 
into conversation with her and spoke of 
Christ the living water which refreshes 
and satisfies the soul. She listened re- 
spectfully, and apparently without much 
feeling, but many years afterward she 
met him and said that that remark about 
the water of life led here to conviction. 
On Daniel Webster's tombstone is the 
inscription: ''The longer I live, the more 
I believe in Christianity." One day a 
working man was seen to kneel before 



76 THE master's call to service. 

that grave and was heard to say: ''Thank 
God for Daniel Webster. These words 
saved me from suicide. " Though Daniel 
Webster is dead, he still bears witness for 
Christ. 

What grand opportunities for doing 
good are open to the Christian in the 
mines, workshop, factory, store and office, 
as well as on the farm and railroad. Oh! 
speak in word and action to your next 
door neighbor, to your fellow-workman, 
to your client and to your associate in 
office. In Korea, Christians put a little 
white flag over their houses on Sunday; 
thus they show w^here they stand, and 
that it is the Sabbath. A Christian 
young man w^ent into the army; he spent 
the first night in the barrack with fifteen 
men who played cards and gambled. 
When the hour to retire came, he fell on 
his knees and prayed, and they began to 
curse and throw their boots at him; thus 
it went on the next night and the next; 
finally the young man told the Chaplain 
what had taken place and asked what he 
should do. He told him to pray in silence 
in his bed; he did so for two nights and 
felt like a whipped dog, then he resumed 



WITNESSES FOR CHRIST. 77 

his place in prayer on his knees, and as 
a result, a prayer meeting was held every 
night, and there were three conversions 
and prayers were offered for others. 

When Agassiz opened his summer 
school of science at Penikese Island, he 
held his first meeting in a barn. He 
asked his students to join him in silent 
prayer for God's blessing upon their work. 
It was a beautiful scene, and the hushed 
pause that followed the prayer was only 
broken by the great teacher. 

Miss Havergal went to a boarding school 
just after she confessed Christ. She was 
the only Christian there; her first feeling 
was that she could not avow her love for 
Christ in that company of worldly girls. 
Her second thought was that she must 
avow her love for Him as she was His only 
professed friend there. This thought 
strengthened her, and from that hour she 
quietly took her place as a friend of 
Christ. She thus became a true and 
faithful witness for the Master. Her 
constant prayer was: ''Lord, prepare me 
for all thou art preparing for me. " 

As Dore, the artist, was traveling 
through Southern Europe, he lost his 



78 THE master's call to service. 

passport: coming to a boundary line, he 
was challenged bv the official. He said 
he was Dore, the artist; the officer said, 
'^That will not do, too nianv make such 
excuses;" so he handed the artist a pencil 
and paper and said, that if he were Dore 
he could draw a picture. In a few 
strokes the artist proved his identity. 
The officer said: ''Xo one but Dore could 
do this," and he passed him. So our 
religion is often challenged, and sad must 
be the condition of that man who cannot 
stand the test. In Sheffield, England, a 
voung man was thrown on a red-hot 
armor plate. *'Send for the doctor," 
was the cr}' as he rolled off. ''Never 
mind sending for the doctor; but is there 
anyone here who can tell me how to be 
saved. I am dying without God," ex- 
claimed the unfortunate young man. 
From the crowd of men around him, not 
one spoke, and his life went out. Among 
those who stood nearest the dying man, 
was one who bore the name of Christian; 
in the bitterness of remorse, he went to a 
friend and told the sad stor^-; he said: 
"'I could not speak, for I have not been 
living among these men as a Christian 



WITNESSES FOR CHRIST. 79 

ought to live." What a warning to all 
careless Christians! 

Admiral Schley has nobly declared 
that wherever he is, he makes it a rule 
to attend worship on the Sabbath, wheth- 
er at home, or on shipboard or in a foreign 
land. He considers it his duty as an 
officer, to inculcate good morals in his 
men and let every one know that his 
country is one that honors God. On the 
tablet, in St. PauFs Cathedral in London, 
England, is recorded these words: ''To 
the memory of Major General Charles 
Gordon, who in all time and everywhere 
gave his strength to the weak, his sub- 
stance to the poor, his sympathy to the 
suffering and his heart to God. " A few 
years ago the engineer of the Empire 
Express from New York to Albany was a 
little weather-beaten man; he always 
prayed on his fast run, his lips moving. 
Over twenty years he had run on that 
road without an accident; he was a noble 
witness for Christ. 

When Addison was about to die, he 
called to his bedside a noble young man, 
who was somewhat skeptical and said: 
''I have sent for you that you may see 



80 THE master's call TO SERVICE. 

how a Christian can die." He was a 
witness of God's sustaining grace in the 
hour of death. May our last hours be 
such that others may be constrained to 
exclaim: ''Let me die the death of the 
righteous, and let my last end be like 
his." Num. 23: 10. 

A man, who kept a light-house, was 
asked if he and his family were not afraid 
during a storm. He replied: ''We know 
that we are perfectly safe, and only think 
of having our lamp burning brightly, and 
of keeping the reflector clean, so that 
those in danger may be saved." This 
is what all Christians ought to do. They 
are safe in a house built upon a rock 
which cannot be moved by the wildest 
storm, and in the spirit of holy unselfish- 
ness, they should be light to those in sin 
and darkness. 

Mr. Moody used to say that the hardest 
places for the disciples to witness for Christ 
was in their own city, Jerusalem; then 
Judea was next, and Samaria next. So 
the hardest place in which to begin to 
confess Christ is at home, in your own 
church, and your own family; but that is 
what the Master wants us to do. 



CHAPTER X. 

The Master Calls for Laborers in 
His Vineyard. 

The Church represents Christ's king- 
dora on earth. This is His army and He 
calls for soldiers. This is His vineyard, 
and He calls for laborers. Let us con- 
sider some of the most important depart- 
ments of church work: 

The family is one; every Christian fami- 
ly should be a little church; in it should 
be the singing of God's praises, the read- 
ing of His word, prayer and Christian 
exhortation by the parents. The love of 
God should abound in their hearts. The 
ties that are formed in the Christian home 
are strong and lasting. Every Christian 
father and mother should feel that they 
are responding to the Master's call when 
they are faithfully doing their duty as 
parents. 

It is said of certain marriages that they 
were made in heaven. If this is true of 
your union, then let your family be a little 

81 



82 THE master's call to service. 

heaven on earth. Some of the most 
pleasant hours are those associated with 
the Christian home. Oh! Christian 
father and mother, what a noble position 
has the Master called you to; may you 
conscientiously and faithfully fulfill this 
mission; then you will realize that you 
have not lived in vain. It is one thing 
to be instrumental in bringing human 
beings into the world, but it is another 
thing to train them up '^in the nurture 
and admonition of the Lord." Eph. 6: 4. 
Too many parents think their duty is 
done when they have clothed and fed 
their children. They should remember 
that they have intellects to cultivate, sin- 
ful natures to subdue and bring under 
right discipline, and immortal souls to 
save. 

A leaf cast upon a stream will indicate 
which way the current is flowing; so little 
incidents will indicate the home training 
of the child. In a Southern hospital a 
little girl was undergoing a dangerous 
operation. She was placed upon a table 
and the surgeon about to give her ether, 
said: ''Before we can make you well, we 
must put you to sleep." To this remark 



LABORERS IN HIS VINEYARD. 83 

she sweetly replied: ^^If you are going to 
put me to sleep I must say my prayers 
first.'' Then she got off the table and 
knelt down and said the child prayer: 
^'Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the 
Lord my soul to keep. If I should die 
before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to 
take." It made such an impression on 
the surgeon, that he prayed that night for 
the first time in thirty years. It is very 
evident that the little girl was taught at 
home to pray. 

A family lived at the seashore, and one 
night as a storm was raging, when vessels 
were in great danger, a little girl called 
out from her little cot: ''Mamma, mam- 
ma, if you will pray to God for the big 
ships, I will speak a word to Him for the 
little boats." This incident speaks well 
for the home life of that family. 

Sometimes a Christian mother is not 
as attentive to the appeals of her little 
ones as she should be and thereby loses 
a blessing. This is well illustrated in 
the following incident: A mother was 
sitting one day with her Bible and some 
devotional books in her hands and her 
little girl was playing in the same room 



84 THE master's call to service. 

with her doll. She accidentally broke one 
of its arms and came weeping to her 
mother to have it mended; the mother 
pushed her away saying; ''Don't bother 
me now, I am trying to get near to God 
and everything seems to hinder me.'' 
The little girl at last cried herself to sleep 
in the corner of the room; while the 
mother after an hour of reading and 
thinking felt herself no nearer God than 
before; then she turned to comfort her 
little one, and took her up in her arms 
with sorrow and shame for her neglect; 
then God came and whispered to that 
mother: ''You did not love me, or you 
would have loved this little lamb of mine; 
that was why you could not get close to 
me." 

The Sunday School is a sphere of use- 
fulness to which the Master calls many. 
The former idea of the Sunday School 
was a nursery of the Church for the chil- 
dren; the more modern idea is a Bible 
School where the young, middle aged, and 
the aged meet to sing God's praises and 
read and study His word. The work of 
the Sunday School is manifold. Here men 
of business ability are needed to serve as 



LABORERS IN HIS VINEYARD. 85 

superintendents, secretaries and libra- 
rians; here musical talent is needed to 
teach children and adults to sing the 
praises of God. The hymns taught the 
children in the Sunday School go with 
them through life and contribute much 
to their cheerfulness and happiness. 
Here, too, we need teachers who are con- 
secrated persons. They must first give 
themselves to the Lord and then they will 
use their gifts in the service of the Master. 
Teachers who prepare themselves to teach 
and who study the special needs of their 
scholars; who love their scholars and pray 
for them, will be successful in winning 
souls for the Master. When Cairns was 
a little boy he read these words, which 
made a deep impression upon him : '' God 
claims you. " These three words became 
his life motto. They led him to give him- 
self to God; they followed him to school 
and college, and into Parliament, and 
stayed with him when he became Lord 
Chancellor of England. When he was 
appointed to his high position, he was the 
teacher of a boys' Bible class. His pastor 
said to him: ''Now, I suppose you will 
be obliged to give up your Bible class .^" 



86 THE master's call to service. 

^^No/' he answered, ^'I will not, God 
claims me/' That the Sunday School 
may be prosperous and efficient, the talent 
and the ability in the community should 
be enlisted. Have you heard the Master's 
call ? Have you responded to it with all 
your heart .^ Have you said: *^Here am 
I, what wilt Thou have me to do ?'' All 
laborers in the Sunday School should 
endeavor to realize that their calling is 
not of man merely, but of God; that 
they have a solemn charge committed to 
them, and that God will hold them re- 
sponsible. They should realize the mean- 
ing of the hymn: '^Work, for the night is 
coming." Is the boy who delivers your 
milk, your merchandise, your telegrams 
and special delivery letters in the Sunday 
School ? Years ago a poor seamstress 
persuaded a boy to go to Sunday School. 
The boy, Amos Sutton, was converted; he 
became a minister, and a missionary to 
India. By his influence, the Baptist 
mission among the Telugus was begun, 
and now there are connected with this 
mission over 30,000 converts. The poor 
seamstress went to her reward without 
knowing of the wonderful things that were 



LABORERS IN HIS VINEYARD. 87 

wrought for God, to which her simple 
faith led. 

A gentleman, who had just arrived on 
the train was anxious to go home and 
meet his family. He observed a number 
of excited people on the bank of the river, 
to whom he shouted: ''What is the mat- 
ter.^" They replied: ''A boy is in the 
river.'' In a moment, throwing down 
his carpet bag, and pulling off his coat, he 
plunged into the stream. He grasped 
the boy by the arm and dragged him to 
the shore. As he wiped the water from 
his face and brushed back his hair, he 
exclaimed: ''O God! it is my boy." He 
plunged into the river to save the boy of 
some one else, and thereby saved his 
own. So we plunge into the waters of 
Christian self-denial, labor, prayer and 
faith; willing to spend and be spent, to 
save some other one from drowning in 
sin and death, and we thereby save our- 
selves and our children. 

The Christian Endeavor Society is an 
excellent sphere of usefulness. Here we 
are to work for Christ and the church. 
It is a place where we exercise our spiritu- 
al gifts, and in doing so, we are educated 



88 THE master's call to service. 

for greater usefulness in the Church. It 
is more especially a young people's society, 
hence it is called, '"A Young People's 
Society of Christian Endeavor." It is 
an Endeavor Society; a place where young 
people especially are called upon to en- 
deavor, or put forth an effort for Christ 
and the Church. "'As the twig is bent, 
the tree is inclined." In teaching the 
young to take part in its exercises, they 
become accustomed to religious activity. 
It is a training school for them, but it is 
not only training in outward activity, but 
Christian Endeavor services are very de- 
votional in their nature and they develop 
the spirituality of the individual. The 
writer of this book attends regularly the 
Christian Endeavor meetings and feels 
highly compensated. The most inspiring 
hymns are sung there; the finest religious 
sentiment is expressed; the richest Chris- 
tian experience is given, and the most 
appropriate passages of Scripture are 
read. The services are educational, 
spiritual and very enjoyable. The work 
of the various committees develop the 
activity and the talents of the members. 
Mr. A. T. Stewart, of New York, in his 



LABORERS IN HIS VINEYARD. 89 

store, trained young men for business; 
they learned to sell goods by selling. 
They were taught how to do things by 
doing them; so young men and ladies can 
be trained for church work by having 
them take part in the exercises and serve 
on committees. The call to attend the 
Christian Endeavor meetings is the Mas- 
ter's call. He has your spiritual devel- 
opment in view. You hear and heed His 
call ? 

The missionary society needs active 
and liberal supporters, and an active and 
faithful pastor. Nothing will diffuse 
missionary intelligence and foster the 
missionary spirit like a good live mission- 
ary society. 

A prominent clergyman says his Church 
is a force to work with, and not merely a 
field to work in. All church members 
should have a similar conception of the 
Church. Schumann's advice to musi- 
cians was, ''Play always as in the presence 
of a master." That, too, is the test of 
the true disciple of Christ. He should 
live and work always as in the presence of 
the Master, Jesus Christ. 

How often do we hear persons make 



90 THE master's call TO SERVICE. 

excuses when asked to do Church work. 
They excuse themselves in different ways ; 
one cannot get up in time in the morning; 
another is not quaUfied; another does not 
wish to commit himself to work of this 
kind. We are not to consult our con- 
venience or ease, but we are to consult 
duty, and that duty is the call of the 
Master. 

A morbid modesty restrains many from 
entering upon Church work. When you 
are called to such responsibility by those 
in authority, it is generally safe to consent ; 
as their judgment of your ability is not 
likely to be at fault. No one becomes a 
skillful musician in old age, after his 
fingers have grown hard and stiff, and no 
one becomes a skilled church worker 
after he has allowed his youth to go by 
without doing any church work. 

A successful church worker was lying 
on his death bed, and some one asked him 
the secret of his life. He answered : '^The 
secret of my life is this, I have said 'yes' 
to Christ."' 

In the home, the school, the shop, the 
field and office, everywhere, we are to 
live for Christ. 



LABORERS IN HIS VINEYARD. 91 

It is the combined pull of all the oars 
that propel a boat, and it is the combined 
efforts of all Christ's ministers and mem- 
bers of His Church that send forward the 
kingdom of God. While the Master is 
at the helm, do not worry or lose courage, 
but pull with all your might at your own 
oar. One of the most beautiful things 
about Frances Willard was her calm way 
of ignoring differences of belief in all of 
those who work in any way for the good of 
the world. When some workers would 
differ from her she would say: ''Never 
mind that, we can go a long way together.'' 
That would be a good motto for all Chris- 
tans in their relations with one another. 
Now and then we find a professed Chris- 
tian who loves all the churches; so much 
so that he has not much love for his own 
church. Like a bird, he is migratory in 
his habits. He is on the wing and chirps 
everywhere except upon his own tree. 
He has the idea that he is not appreciated 
at home, so he must fly North, South, 
East and West, on missions of universal 
benevolence. While you love the church 
as a whole, love your own denomination 
above all others and be true and loyal to 



92 THE master's call to service. 

it. He is a poor church member, who says 
''All churches are alike to me.'' Love 
your own church, not with narrowness, 
and in the spirit of bigotry, but as you 
love your own mother, home and coun- 
try, — above all others. 

We must get over the idea that it is only 
the preacher's business to win souls. As 
Christians, we are to preach Christ by 
precept and example in our own homes, 
school, workshop, places of business and 
on the street. As Christians, we should 
improve our opportunities to do good. 
A young Christian soldier was wounded 
in the battle of Gettysburg, and lay on 
the field with other wounded. As he 
talked of the battle with another who lay 
near him, he thought of saying something 
about his spiritual state, but delayed from 
natural fear; finally he concluded that he 
would speak to him on that subject, but 
found that his fellow-soldier was dead. 
He said: ''As the night shut in about me, 
as I lay on the battle-field by that dead 
companion, I felt that I would have given 
the world if I could but live that hour 
again: I determined never to delay again 
when I have the opportunity to spiritually 
advise a fellow-man." 



LABORERS IN HIS VINEYARD. 93 

John Ruskin once declared that it is 
the business of every Christian man, 
minister or layman, to be constantly talk- 
ing Christ to the servants in the house, to 
the men he meets on the railroad train, 
and to that man with whom he is thrown 
in touch in his work in life. He has no 
other business so important as this. In 
a great meeting, a young man was leaning 
forward on the back of a seat with his 
face covered by his hands; the leader of 
the meeting said to a worker, ^'Go and 
speak to that man." He w^ent down the 
aisle and dropped into the seat, putting 
his arms over his shoulder and said: ''I 
have been sent to talk to you, I do not 
know what to say, but Jesus loves you and 
I know that he is ready to save you.'' 
They both dropped on their knees and 
prayed. He was then and there made a 
new creature. 

We should be tactful in our soul-winning 
— ^^Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and 
harmless as doves." Matt. 10: 16. A 
minister in West Virginia, met on Sunday 
a young man carrying a string of fish, 
which he had just caught; instead of 
scolding him for fishing on Sunday, he 



94 THE master's call to service. 

talked to him about his future, and ad- 
vised him to give his heart to God. As a 
result, the young man became a preacher 
himself and has two sons who are promi- 
nent ministers. 

While special services were being held 
in church an invalid boy asked his pastor 
w^hat he could do to help them. The 
pastor answered, ''You can pray for the 
meeting." Every evening, when his father 
came home from the services, he would 
ask who appeared especially interested. 
Later, when the boy died, a paper was 
found under his pillow with the names 
of more than fifty persons for whom he 
had been praying by name and all but 
two or three of them had been converted 
at these series of services. The Chris- 
tian who is constantly waiting for great 
opportunities to do good, will never be 
anything more than the unprofitable 
servant. 

A Mr. Miller, of the parish of the ''Holy 
Apostle," Philadelphia, Pa., within six 
years has brought fifty boys personally 
to Christ. He invites them to his home, 
he takes them on trips to the Park; he 
studies them, understands them and draws 
them to himself and the Savior. 



LABORERS IN HIS VINEYARD. 95 

Invest your brains in the Sunday School 
and you will gain rich returns in wisdom; 
invest your ready speech in Christian 
testimony and you will have a reward in 
saved souls. Invest your grace in the 
Christian Endeavor Society, and you will 
have well attended meetings; invest your 
time in religious work, and your returns 
will be in '^ God's well done;" invest your 
money in God's poor, and the returns 
will be: "Ye did it unto me." 



CHAPTER XI. 

The Master's Call to Worship. 

Matthew Hale used to say: ''If I omit 
praying and reading a portion of God's 
blessed word in the morning, nothing goes 
well the whole day.'' If it is important 
that we have our private worship, it is no 
less important that we engage in public 
worship. Concerning public worship, it 
is written: ''The Lord loveth the gates 
of Zion more than all the dwellings of 
Jacob." Ps. 87: 2. The salutation of 
God's people on Sunday morning should 
be "O come, let us worship and bow 
down; let us kneel before the Lord, our 
maker." Ps. 95: 6. 

The regular public worship is a place 
to which the Master calls his people. 
For this end he has instituted the Sab- 
bath, and established the church and its 
worship. David says: ''Thy way, O 
God, is in the sanctuary." Ps. 77: 13. 
The Old Testament Tabernacle and the 
Temple were God's dwelling places among 

96 



CALL TO WORSHIP. 97 

the children of men, ''Whither the tribe 
go up, the tribes of the Lord, unto the 
testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto 
the name of the Lord." Ps. 122: 4. 

Our Savior, as was his custom, entered 
the sanctuary on the Sabbath. On the 
Lord's day, the Master calls his people 
together to worship God. Everything 
connected with the church is inspiring and 
uplifting. The architecture is imposing, 
the music is inspiring, the sermon is in- 
structive, and the felt presence of God's 
spirit is an experience which only those 
who feel it know. 

In the sanctuary are the ordinances and 
holy sacraments. The holy communion 
is the inmost sanctuary of the whole 
Christian worship. The fellowship of 
Christian worship is a sacred experience; 
here we learn to experience the sentiment 
of the hymn, ''Blest be the tie that binds, 
etc." 

A railroad conductor once went with a 
large company of conductors on an ex- 
cursion to a Southern city. They arrived 
on Saturday night. An attractive trip 
had been arranged for the next day; in 
the morning he was observed taking spec- 



98 THE master's call to service. 

ial care in his attire and a friend said to 
him: '^Of course, you are going with us 
on this excursion?" ''No/' he quietly 
replied, ''I am going to church, this is my 
habit on Sunday." Another questioner 
received the same reply. Soon comment 
on it began to pass around and discussion 
followed. When he set out for the church 
he was accompanied by one hundred and 
fifty men whom his quiet example had 
turned from a Sunday excursion to the 
place of worship. 

After a great snow^ storm which lasted 
two days, a farmer sent his boy of twelve 
years of age, with his horse and scraper, 
to make paths to the post office. As the 
boy passed the minister's house, he remem- 
bered that it was prayer meeting night. 
He thought: ''Guess the minister will be 
alone at church this evening, as the paths 
will not be opened until tomorrow." 
Then he thought that he might drive 
around by the church and make paths 
for the pastor and people. He did so; 
the people took advantage of the path, 
and came out, and the church was filled. 
That night the pastor spoke on John, the 
fore-runner of Christ, and on preparing 



CALL TO WORSHIP. 99 

the way of the Lord. The church, that 
night, received a new impulse; the boy of 
twelve years made such a good attendance 
and meeting possible. In this and many 
other ways we can aid the attendance of 
public worship. 

In passing through difficult places on 
the Alps, travellers are tied together. If 
one slips the others sustain him and pre- 
vent his going over the precipice. So 
church relationship affords mutual sym- 
pathy and inspiration in church work. 
All should therefore stand properly re- 
lated to a church. 

A country boy was once riding in a 
train toward Philadelphia, sitting next to 
an old man. The young man said that he 
was going to the city to find work. The 
elderly man asked him if he had a recom- 
mendation. '^O yes,'' he replied, ''here 
is one from my old employer; here is one 
from my school teacher and here is one 
from my physician.'' He was then asked : 
''Have you none from your minister.^" 
''Yes," he replied, "I have that also." 
''Then," said the old gentleman, "I would 
advise you to present that letter to some 
church at once." No young Christian is 



100 THE master's call TO SERVICE. 

safe unless he is bound up in Christian 
fellowship with other Christians in the 
Sunday School, the young people's socie- 
ties of the church and the regular public 
worship of God in His sanctuary. 

Mr. Depew once said: ''Twenty-five 
years ago I knew every man, woman and 
child in Peekskill. Some of them be- 
came clerks, some merchants, some manu- 
facturers, some lawyers and some doctors; 
and it is remarkable that every one of them 
that had drinking habits is now dead, and 
those who were church-going people were 
steady, industrious hard-working men, 
frugal and thrifty. Every one of them, 
without an exception, owns the house in 
which he lives, and has something laid 
by for a rainy day. " 

Some people would come to church, 
but they want fit clothes, or some one to 
take care of the children. They want 
time; they want rest after the six day's 
work; their wants are innumerable, but 
there is one want they never name which 
would swallow up all their other wants, — 
the will to go; ''Where there is a will, 
there is a way." 

The church is an assembly of imper- 



CALL TO WORSHIP. 101 

feet Christians in the process of being 
made perfect. It is not an assembly of 
perfect scholars, but a school. It is not 
a gallery of complete statues, but the 
Artist's Studio where the statues are being 
made. It is not a show-case of finished 
goods, but a factory, not a complete 
building, but one in process of building 
with the scaffolding and debris still about 

it. ^ 

As the wealth of the corn field is made 
up of separate stalks and grains; as the 
magnificent texture with its gorgeous 
combination of colors, is made up of inter- 
woven threads; as the sublimest sym- 
phony is made up of separate single notes, 
so it is with the spiritual life. Character 
is the product of daily, hourly action, 
words and thoughts. Daily forgiveness, 
unselfishness, kindness, sympathy, char- 
ity, sacrifices for the good of others, 
strugglings against temptations, and sub- 
missions under trials. It is these, like 
the blending colors in a picture, or the 
blending notes of music, which constitute 
the man. 



CHAPTER XII. 
The Call to the Gospel Ministry. 

It is important that the church is 
properly suppHed with regular pastors. 
The flocks raust be looked after, the sick 
and dying visited, the bereaved comforted; 
and all must be nourished from the sacred 
desk by good and wholesome instruction. 

The Gospel ministry is not only a pro- 
fession, but it is one of the highest pro- 
fessions in the world. It is a profes- 
sion in the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. He has established His kingdom 
on earth. To carry forward this great 
work, he has instituted not only the church 
but the ministr}' also. 

Of late years there seems to be a great 
scarcity of ministers and the need for 
more is great. 

The Master gives a special call to the 
holy ministry. Indeed, it is two-fold, an 
external and an internal call. The ex- 
ternal call is the invitation of the church 
to become a minister. This may be ex- 

102 



CALL TO GOSPEL MINISTRY. 103 

pressed by the pastor, or by some qualified 
persons, or it may be the expressed wish 
of a number of persons who recognize the 
needs of the church and who beHeve that 
the person they thus call would make a 
successful minister. Thus the writer 
suggested to Rev. L. Fetterolf, when he 
was a youth, that he should study for the 
ministry. This was the first call he heard. 
So, too, when the writer was a youth, his 
pastor. Rev. A. Dole, kindly suggested 
that he study for the ministry. This 
request was also made by a few pious 
persons, and later on by one of the profes- 
sors of Heidelberg College. The needs 
of the church were shown him, and the 
opinion expressed that he should study 
for the ministry. 

The internal call to the ministry is the 
deep and lasting impression made on the 
heart by the Holy Spirit, that one ought 
to study for the ministry. This impres- 
sion is not spasmodic, nor is it suggested 
by the honor of filling the pulpit of some 
great church, but it is a sense of duty we 
owe to God and our fellowmen. The 
called thus reason '^If Jesus gave himself 
for me, should I not be willing to devote 



104 THE master's call TO SERVICE. 

all the powers of my body and soul to His 
service, and to the salvation of others?" 
A sense of obligation to the Master leads 
him to say: ''Lord, what wilt Thou have 
me to do?" And then, as he considers 
the needs of sinners, the passion for souls 
rises in his heart. It is the love for the 
Master and for perishing souls that is 
the greatest and highest motive for enter- 
ing the ministry. In considering the call 
of the Master, think not of how much is 
expected of you, but of how much He 
has done for you. 

In responding to the call, if you are slow 
of speech as Moses was, God can unloose 
the strings of the tongue, if your intellect 
is meagre, the education in College and 
Seminary will develop its power; if you 
are crude, the necessary culture will come. 
Have not many of the most successful 
ministers come from rural districts w^hich 
had but few^ educational advantages ? 

In addition to the tw o supreme motives 
of entering the ministry, viz.: love to 
Christ, and love to our fellowmen, there 
are some minor reasons for entering it. 
In this profession, one can feel that he is 
living to some purpose, and that life to 



CALL TO GOSPEL MINISTRY. 105 

him is not a blank. Every true minister 
exerts an influence for good, and that in- 
fluence extends far into the future, so that 
long after the minister is dead, the good 
results of his labors will be seen. Many 
will rise up and call him blessed. Oh! 
think of the great good that even the most 
ordinary minister accomplishes, and be 
assured that he has lived to some purpose. 
Oh! the consciousness of having done 
good, is a sufficient compensation for the 
efforts put forth. 

No profession offers a better oppor- 
tunity for intellectual culture. The mind 
is almost infinite in its development and 
achievement. In a certain sense, we 
measure a man, not by his stature, but by 
his moral and intellectual development. 

In preparing for the ministry, a young 
man is supposed to take a full Classical 
Course, at college, and then a two or three 
year's course in the Theological Seminary. 
The course of preparation places him on 
a higher intellectual plane than many 
other professions, and from the time he 
enters the ministry, he is coping with the 
great intellectual subjects and questions 
of the day. Hence the minister is recog- 



106 THE master's call TO SERVICE. 

nized as a man of intellectual culture and 
development. This high standard in the 
literary world is a consideration in esti- 
mating the ministry as a profession. 

There is no profession that introduces 
us to a better class of people. The most 
cultured, intellectual and social classes 
of people are those with whom the minis- 
ter comes in contact. He is introduced 
to the best class of people and is admitted 
into the best homes. There is no person 
that is more welcome than the pastor 
among his parishioners. For his lodging, 
the best room is assigned, for his dinner 
the best meal is served. As a rule, people 
have much respect for their beloved 
pastor. There is no other profession in 
which a man has such hospitality shown 
him, and where he mingles with such a 
good class of people. This social advan- 
tage counts for much in the choice of a 
profession. To live in the hearts of the 
people, is a great privilege. 

We are aware that among a certain 
class of persons, the ministry is lightly and 
contemptibly spoken of, but such persons 
are usually of that class to which Isaiah 
refers when he says: ''Woe unto them 



CALL TO GOSPEL MINISTRY. 107 

that call good evil; that put darkness 
for light, and light for darkness." Isa. 5: 
20. • 

The better class of mankind, rich or 
poor, learned or unlearned, hold the min- 
ister in high esteem and respect him for 
his office's sake. Even when a group of 
profane men see a minister approaching 
them, they at once cease their profanity. 
The writer once had two carpenters work- 
ing for him; the one was in the habit of 
swearing, but while in the employ of the 
writer he did not swear. His fellow- 
workman said to him: ''How is it that I 
do not hear you swear as is your custom ? " 
He replied: ''I am working in a minister's 
building; it will not do to swear on his 
premises." The man who has no re- 
spect for a minister and his holy office 
is pretty low in morals. 

The compensation for the services of a 
pastor is not large, however; it is usually 
sufficient to support him and his family. 
While this profession is cried down be- 
cause of its meagre salary, there are many 
incidentals that mollify this objectionable 
feature. 

When a young man enters the legal or 



108 THE master's call TO SERVICE. 

medical profession, he usually lias a 
financial struggle the first few years. 
His income, in the beginning of his prac- 
tice, is scarcely enough to keep body and 
soul together. It is usually a long time 
before he can build up a remunerative 
practice ; it may take him five or ten years 
to accomplish this. It is different with 
the minister; as soon as he is able to enter 
the ministry, he is called to a charge and 
receives a stipulated salary; this is usually 
paid monthly or quarterly, and a regular 
salary is paid until he retires from the 
active ministry. Then if he is poor at 
the time of his retirement, he is not ne- 
glected; the Ministerial Aid Society comes 
to his relief. While the salary of the min- 
ister is moderate, we must not overlook 
the fact that this is supplemented by vari- 
ous perquisites that continually come in, 
as wedding and funeral fees, and compen- 
sation for special services ; and in the event 
of adversity or extreme stringent circum- 
stances, the people will come to his relief 
in various ways, so as not to shock his 
sense of pride and honor. 

Even the railroad companies, who are 
sometimes regarded as being indifferent 



CALL TO GOSPEL MINISTRY. 109 

to the interests of Christianity, respect and 
favor the ministry. Many railroad com- 
panies and steamship Hnes regard the 
clergy as a necessary protection to their 
property, that in so far as the Christian 
principles are promulguted, order will 
prevail. They also favor the ministry 
in their passenger transit. ^Marked re- 
spect is accorded the ministry by almost 
all classes of men, so that it is no belittling 
profession. 

Then, too, if a poor young man feels it 
is his duty to enter the ministry and mani- 
fests fairly good qualifications, and has 
the confidence of the church, it will assist 
him if necessary, in his college and semi- 
nary course. Many very successful min- 
isters could not have entered the ministry, 
had not the church helped them. 

The question in our day is, not so much, 
how can I take my course as I have not 
the necessary means, but the primary 
question is: ''Has God called me to the 
holy ministry ?'' Has he given me ability 
or talent ? Am I willing to consecrate my 
heart and life to Him ? Am I willing to 
enter the ministry out of pure love to the 
Master and mankind.^" When these 



110 THE master's call TO SERVICE. 

conditions are present, the means for 
preparation will be furnished; the way will 
be opened, though much self-denial must 
be practiced. Most churches have bene- 
ficiary funds to assist worthy young men 
of their denomination in the preparation 
for the holy ministry. 

It is true that the ministerial profession 
is not a lucrative one, but this thought 
should not be a consideration in enterino: 
upon it; no young man should enter the 
ministry to make money. He, however, 
is sure of a comfortable livelihood and 
many advantages. There are several 
advantages peculiar to that profession. 
His children are reared in an intelligent 
family; they come in contact with intelli- 
gent persons, and educational tastes and 
aspirations are awakened and fostered. 
By degrees, he accumulates a good library 
worth as much as a first-class farm; he 
also gathers valuable manuscripts of his 
own making. If the writer's house were 
to get on fire, the first thing he would save 
would be his books and his manuscripts. 
The latter represent forty years of hard 
study, and are invaluable to him. 

Then, too, in this connection, it is not 



CALL TO GOSPEL MINISTRY. Ill 

inappropriate to consider the souls he 
has been instrumental in saving. They 
will be his crown of rejoicing, and when 
the faithful minister lays down his work 
to obey the summons to come up higher, 
we can appropriately apply the benedic- 
tion to him: ''Blessed are the dead which 
die in the Lord from henceforth; yea, 
saith the spirit, that they may rest from 
their labors; and their works do follow 
them." Rev. 14: 13. 

Does it pay to be a faithful pastor.^ 
Yes, in many ways he is compensated. 
Shortly after the death of Phillips Brooks, 
his brother said to Dr. McVicker: ''Phil- 
lips might have saved himself, and pro- 
longed his life as others do, but he w^as 
always giving himself to any who w^anted 
him." The Doctor replied: "Yes, but 
in so doing he would not have been 
Phillips Brooks. The glory of his life 
was that he did not save himself. " 

When Robert Murray McCheyne died, 
there was found on his desk an unopened 
letter which proved to be from a man 
who wrote that he was converted, not by 
anything Mr. McCheyne had said, but 
by his look as he entered the pulpit. 



112 THE master's call TO SERVICE. 

Evidently Mr. McCheyne heard the Mas- 
ter's call and seriously felt the great re- 
sponsibility of the gospel ministry. When 
our hour of death comes, which comes to 
high and low alike, then it is, that our 
most pleasant thoughts will be, not what 
we have done for ourselves, but what we 
have done for others. 

At the close of 1879, Dr. Philip Schaff 
wrote: ''This day closes my sixtieth year. 
The day is far spent, but so long as I live 
and God gives me strength, I mean to 
w ork. Time is becoming more and more 
precious every day. Time is money; yea, 
more than money. I must hurry if I am 
to finish what work I have yet to do. " 

A noted gambler in Chicago was con- 
verted. He prayed to God in gambler's 
slang, but God knew what he meant, and 
received him. He became an Evangelist 
and won many souls for Christ. If the 
world wants anything, it wants men and 
women set apart to God, filled with the 
spirit and ready to be used. Greatness 
in Christ's kingdom consists, not in getting 
service, but in doing service, not in having 
servants, but in being servants. It is 
God's work to save men, but it is men's 



CALL TO GOSPEL MINISTRY. 113 

work to serve men. True happiness con- 
sists in great love and much service. 

A certain church in New York City was 
full of all sorts and conditions of people, 
listening earnestly to the Gospel preached 
by a plain common speaker, who for 
twenty-five years made it a point to speak 
to at least one unconverted soul every 
day, on the subject of salvation by Jesus 
Christ. 

Faith in men is sometimes named as a 
great secret of success, but Paul had some- 
thing better, faith in God and His word; 
he did not give up in despair. The 
mockery of the Greek Philosophers, the 
persecution by his own people, the slan- 
der against him in his own churches; the 
callousness of men like Felix and Festus, 
did not lessen his zeal in the least. He 
had faith in God and hope for the salva- 
tion of mankind. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

The Master's Call for Laborers in 
THE Missionary Field. 

Missions are usually divided into two 
classes, — Home and Foreign. Home 
missions have reference to the missionary 
work in the home-land. In many rural 
districts, towns and cities, there are mem- 
bers of the church who are not organized 
and who have no church home; these 
we must provide for. The Home Mis- 
sion Board looks after the spiritual need 
of these people. It furnishes them with 
preaching, organizes them into congre- 
gations and assists them in the building 
up of their churches and in the support of 
their pastors. There are many fields now 
in the home land that are "white already 
to the harvest." John 4: 35. Many and 
pressing are the calls in the home mis- 
sionary^ field. 

A Nebraska missionarv^ called on the 
parents of two boys who were serving 
their sentence in the pentitentiary for 

114 



CALL FOR LABORERS. 115 

stealing cattle. They said: ''We tried 
to bring up our children the best we knew 
how, but this is the result of their asso- 
ciation with evil company. We were 
church members in Ohio, and went to 
church and Sunday School every Sunday, 
but that was eighteen years ago. Why 
did you not come before ? Now it is too 
late; if we had had the church and Sunday 
School, probably our boys would not 
have been where they are. " 

Many an able young minister, who 
could command a larger salary in some 
old established congregation in the East, 
has responded to the Master's call to 
enter the home missionary field. Such 
an one makes many sacrifices for the cause 
of Christ; he, however, is laying the foun- 
dation for a self-supporting church; it 
may have a weak beginning, but it will be 
strong in the near future. John Mason 
Peck, one of the missionary preachers in 
the Central West, wrote: ''I have now 
put my hand to the plow, O Lord, 
may I never turn back, never regret the 
step. It is my desire to live, to labor, and 
to die as a kind of pioneer in advancing 
the gospel. I feel a most heavenly joy 
when my heart is engaged in this work." 



116 THE master's call TO SERVICE. 

Such brethren should be honored and 
highly commended for their sacrifices 
and self-denials for the good of Zion. 

Foreign missions have reference to the 
work of missions in the foreign field, 
among the heathen. The divine com- 
mand is: ''Go ye into all the world and 
preach the Gospel to every creature." 
Mark 16 : 15. To be a foreign missionary 
implies much; one must deny himself of 
his own home, the society of his own 
kindred and associates, and take up a 
habitation among heathen, and often 
live in an unhealthy climate. Nothing 
but pure love for the Master and his 
cause, and the love for human souls 
should lead men to respond to this divine 
call. 

David Brainerd was a consecrated 
missionary. He wrote: "I cared not 
where or how I lived, or what hardships 
I went through, if I could gain souls for 
Christ. While I was asleep I dreamed 
of these things, when I was awake the 
first thing I thought of was the great work. 
All my desire was for the conversion of 
souls, and all my hope was in God." 
He longed and prayed for such a com- 



CALL FOR LABORERS. 117 

plete absorption in the divine will that he 
might become utterly indifferent to every 
outward circumstance of discomfort and 
trial, if only he could make known the 
love of Christ to the souls for which He 
died. He says in his journal: ''Here am 
I, Lord, send me; send me to the ends of 
the earth; send me to the rough and savage 
pagans of the wilderness; send me from 
all that is called comfort in the earth; 
send me even to death itself, if I be but 
in Thy service and promote Thy king- 
dom. " 

Sixty years ago, seven shoemakers in a 
shop in the city of Hamburg said: ''By 
the grace of God, we will help to send the 
gospel to our destitute fellowmen. '' In 
twenty-five years, they had established 
fifty self-supporting churches, had gath- 
ered ten thousand converts, and distri- 
buted four hundred thousand Bibles, and 
eight hundred thousand tracts, and had 
carried the gospel to fifty million of the 
human race. It would take only one 
hundred and sixty such men to carry the 
gospel to the whole world in twenty-five 
years. 

The strongest expressions of the broth- 



118 THE master's call TO SERVICE. 

erhood of man we have, is the sacrifice 
that men make to carry the gospel to those 
in spiritual darkness. It was this that 
led Morrison to China; Paton to the 
Hebrides, and Livingston to the heart of 
Africa. It was this that led Marcus Whit- 
man to go to the northwest coast, w^hen it 
took six months to journey from the Hud- 
son to the Columbia. William Carey 
became mighty because he wedded his 
impotence to the omnipotence of God. 
What is the result of his work.^ The 
Bible is translated into fortv different 
languages and dialects of India, and made 
accessible to two hundred million people, 
and six hundred and fifty thousand con- 
verts. 

Greater opportunities are opened to 
men of to-day, than to the men in the 
time of Abraham, David and Paul. 
Christ himself answered a suppliant that 
His mission was to Israel alone. Matt. 15 : 
24, but the whole wide field of service is 
free to us. 

As Caesar called his men to follow him 
across the Rubicon; as Lincoln called for 
volunteers to put down the rebellion, and 
as McKinley called for men to free Cuba, 



CALL FOR LABORERS. 119 

— SO is there a Rubicon that Christ is 
asking us to cross, in order that we may 
be His disciples. We must be willing to 
go to Cuba, Porto Rico, or the Philip- 
pines, or wherever he wishes to send us. 
Willingness to be an exile for Christ's 
sake has always been a part of Christian- 
ity. Luther showed it when he left the 
Catholic church; the Pilgrim Fathers when 
they set sail from Holland; the Moravians 
when they went to the estate of Count 
Zinzendorf. William Carey showed it 
and every missionary of the cross who has 
succeeded him. All these were true 
children of Abraham. 

A missionary mother sent her children 
to the home land for an education. As 
the ship disappeared below the horizon, 
she said : ''Lord Jesus, I do this for Thee.'' 
This is the true motive in all missionary 
work. 

When William Burns offered himself as 
a missionary to India, he was asked: 
''When will you be ready to go.^" He 
replied: "To-morrow." "But, how will 
you inform your parents and bid them 
farewell .^" "I will write to them. " As 
he stood on the deck of the vessel, he held 
his Bible high above his head; and his 



120 THE master's call TO SERVICE. 

upraised Bible was the last object seen 
as the ship sailed away. 

A young girl once said: ''I am afraid 
to surrender myself to God, for if I do, I 
know he will send me to China, and I do 
not want to go." A few months later, 
she wrote: ''I have at last consecrated 
my life to God, and He is going to send 
me to China, but I do not dread it now, I 
am so happy and so glad to go. " 

A young man felt drawn to the mission- 
ary work, but could not consent to go. 
He said to Mr. Robert E. Speer: ''I am 
sure it is not selfishness." Mr. Speer 
told him to take the matter to God. He 
had been gone a week, when Mr. Speer 
received a letter saying: ''I know my 
heart now; it was selfishness." A moth- 
er gave her only son as a missionary to 
the Congo. He died there after a short 
but faithful service. When the news of 
his death was carried to his mother, she 
w^as asked: ''Had you another son, w^ould 
you give him to the mission cause .^" 
This was her reply: 

'^Were the whole realm of nature mine, 
That were a present far too small; 
Love so amazing, so divine, 

Demands my soul, my life, my all.'' 



CALL FOR LABORERS. 121 

Count Zinzendorf at four years of age 
made his covenant with Christ. It was 
thus expressed: ''Be Thou mine, dear 
Savior, and I will be Thine." 

The greatest apostle to the Gentiles had 
insatiable hunger for the chief cities of 
the empire. He aimed at Athens, Co- 
rinth, Ephesus and Rome. He was the 
first and greatest master of missionary 
strategy. He knew that the country 
always followed the city; win the metro- 
polis, and you win the hamlets and the 
farms. Win the metropolis and you win 
the press, the school and the forces of 
wealth and culture. 

It is true that only a comparatively few 
Christians are called by the Master to 
enter the home and the foreign missionary 
field, yet, in a certain sense, all Christians 
are to be missionaries. The apostle Paul 
says: ''How shall they hear without a 
preacher.^ And how shall they preach 
except they be sent.^" Rom. 10: 15. 
By whom are our missionaries to be sent ? 
By the Christians in the home land. It 
is a blessed privilege to have part in this 
great missionary work of the church. 
You identify yourself with the mission 



122 THE master's call to service. 

cause by your sympathy, prayers and 
means. 

The same apostle says: ^'Now, if any 
man have not the spirit of Christ, he 
is not of His." Rom. 8: 9. Christ was 
the great missionary from Heaven to 
earth. Hence, if we are true disciples of 
Christ, we should have His spirit. The 
spirit of Christ is the true missionarj^ 
spirit. Religious feeling is good, — but 
it is good for nothing until it affects the 
pocket, and leads a man to lay on the 
altar the Lord's portion. 

During one of the great wars of modern 
times, a decisive battle had taken place, 
but the news was slow^ in reaching some 
of those most interested because the tele- 
graph lines were dow^n. At length, a 
letter from one of the generals came to 
town addressed to the pastor. All were 
eager for the war news. The pastor 
opened the letter and read the following 
message: ''Dear Pastor, I remember this 
is the day for the collection for foreign 
missions. Please find enclosed my check. 
Not a word was said about the battle. 
This incident showed a true missionary 
spirit. 



C ALL FOR LABORERS. 123 

We have read of a lady teacher who 
devotes one-half of her salary to self- 
support, and the other half to the sup- 
port of a substitute in China. She feels 
that she is two persons, and can thus 
carry out her desire to be a missionary, 
by substitution; she thus serves the Lord 
twenty-four hours a day. She is like the 
angels, who serve God day and night. 

Andrew Fuller once asked an old friend 
for money for foreign missions. The 
friend said: '' I will give five pounds, 
Andrew, seeing it is for you." Fuller 
handed it back, saying: ''I will take 
nothing, seeing it is for me." The man 
saw the point, and said: ''You are right; 
here are ten pounds, seeing it is for the 
Lord Jesus." 



CHAPTER XIV. 

The Reward of Service. 

The promise still stands as an encour- 
agement to all of God's servants: ''Be 
thou faithful unto death, and I will give 
you a crown of life." Rev. 2: 10. 

If we heed the Master's call, and re- 
spond to it and faithfully discharge our 
duty, our service, however humble, will 
be recognized by the Master and receive 
its reward. Did he not notice the widow 
when she dropped in her two mites ? 
Mark 12: 42; and the woman, who 
anointed His feet ? Luke 7 : 38. 

If we are kind to the poor and needy, 
and considerate for their comfort and wel- 
fare, we shall hear the plaudit from the 
great Judge at the judgment day: ''Come 
ye blessed of my Father, inherit the king- 
dom prepared for you from the founda- 
tion of the world; for I was hungered and 
ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye 
gave me drink; I was a stranger and ye 
took me in; naked and ye clothed me; I 

124 



THE REWARD OF SERVICE. 125 

was sick and ye visited me; I was in pris- 
on, and ye came unto me. Matt. 25 : 34- 
36. 

God does not always pay in kind, but 
He does in kindness more liberally than 
we could ask. Worldly employers usual- 
ly pay after the work is done; God begins 
to pay as soon as we begin to work. 
Keep a book in which you will enter the 
ways in which you are rewarded for all 
the good you do; for the gratitude you 
express; the love you manifest; the beauti- 
ful words you speak; the looks of affection 
you give, and the happy memories you 
recall. Then note in the same book the 
happy returns that come to you, and you 
will be surprised to see how rapidly the 
book will fill up. 

As Columbus saw signs of land in the 
drifting sea weeds and pieces of wood, 
and caught faint whiffs of perfume from 
an unknown shore, so in this life we have 
a foretaste of that peace and joy which is 
in store for us in the next world. As 
Moses was permitted to view from Pis- 
gah's top the promised land, so we, by 
faith, have visions of the promised land 
above. ''Beloved, now are we the sons 



126 THE master's call to service. 

of God, and it doth not yet appear what 
we shall be; but we know that when he 
shall appear, w^e shall be like him; for we 
shall see him as he is.'' 1 John 3: 2. 

It is written: ''Eye hath not seen nor 
ear heard, neither hath it entered into the 
heart of man the things which God hath 
prepared for them that love Him. " 1 Cor. 
2:9. A lady once said to John Wesley: 
''If you knew that you would die at 
twelve o'clock to-morrow night, how 
would you spend the intervening time.^" 
He replied: ''Why just as I intended to 
spend it. I should preach to-morrow 
morning, and in the afternoon and even- 
ing; then retire at my usual hour and wake 
up in glory. " 

When a certain sailor, after a long 
voyage and absence from his English 
home for many years, returned, he was 
not recognized, and no notice was taken 
of him. Soon after this, Livingstone 
returned and was noticed and lauded by 
everyone. In his efforts to bless and 
help the benighted races of mankind, he 
too had made long journeys, toiled t and 
made sacrifices; his service to mankind 
was richly rewarded by the plaudits he 



THE REWARD OF SERVICE. 127 

received from the public. The sailor's 
occupation may have been honorable 
enough, but it did not erect that living 
monument for himself as did the services 
of Livingstone. 

A tablet was placed in an English 
church which commemorates a life that 
was an exemplification of the charity that 
never fails, the humility that never boasts, 
the patience that never tires, and the hope 
that never fades. 

A dying young lady, who had been a 
faithful teacher in the Sunday School, had 
a vision. She dreamed that she had 
passed to the spirit world and there was 
placed on her head a diadem containing 
seven jewels. She asked what this meant. 
The angel of the Lord said: ''This is 
thy crown of life." ''But what mean 
these seven jewels.^" "These are the 
seven children you brought to Jesus." 
It was observed that her Sunday School 
class had seven children and every one 
of them was brought to Christ through 
their teacher. Some one has said: 
"Heaven's gate is shut to him who comes 
alone. Save then a soul, and it shall 
save thine own." 



I'^S THE master's call TO SERVICE. 

On a marble slab in St. Paul's Cathe- 
dral are carved these words: ''Beneath is 
buried Christopher Wren, an architect 
of this church and city, who lived for 
more than ninety years, not for himself, 
but for the public good. Reader, if thou 
seekest his monument, look around." 

A Russian soldier one cold nio*ht was 
on duty in the sentry box. A poor work- 
ing man passing by, moved with pity, 
took off his thick sheep-skin coat and gave 
it to the soldier to keep warm, adding 
that he would soon be home. It beino; a 
very cold night, the sentinel perished 
from cold. Sometime after, the bene- 
factor was on his deathbed and had a 
dream in which Jesus appeared to him. 
'*You have my coat on," said the dying 
man with great emphasis. ''Yes," Jesus 
replied, "it is the coat you loaned me that 
cold night when I was on dutv and vou 
passed bv. " 

At the^ close of the war of 1866, the tri- 
umphant army of Prussia came to Berlin 
for a reception of welcome. As each 
regiment approached the city gate, it was 
halted by a choir, demanding by what 
right it would enter the city. The regi- 



THE REWARD OF SERVICE. 129 

ment replied in song, reciting the battles 
it had fought and the victories it had won. 
Then came a welcome from the choir: 
''Enter into the city;" and so the next 
came up reciting their deeds, and another 
and another; each challenged and wel- 
comed. They marched up the ''Linden" 
between rows of cannon which they had 
captured, with the banners they had 
borne and which they had taken. They 
saluted the statue of grand old Frederick 
of Prussia. Such will be Christ's wel- 
come to all his faithful followers. 

The world measures a man by what 
he has. Christ measures him by what 
he is; the world estimates his wealth by 
what he leaves behind on earth; Christ, 
by what the man finds waiting for him in 
heaven. 



CHAPTER XV. 

Conclusion. 

God does not speak to us audibly as in 
the days of Samuel, 1 Sam. 3: 1-2. He 
speaks to our inner minds, our conscien- 
ces; we cannot close our eves against this 
voice; we cannot run away from it. A 
call from God is an impression that God 
makes upon our conscience telling us to 
do something for Him. A call of God is 
no single call; if you hear it once, you will 
begin to hear it many times. The Mas- 
ter's call to Simon Peter to feed his lambs 
was three-fold. John 21: 15-17. The 
Lord called Samuel four times, Sam. 2: 
4-10. Samuel's greatness began with his 
mother; if it had not been for Hannah's 
faith, we should not have had Samuel's 
obedience. How much we owe to our 
Christian father and mother. 

Be obedient to God's call to some single, 
lofty endeavor, and another call will 
come, bidding you to another noble task, 
and then other calls will follow. When 

130 



CONCLUSION. 131 

you cease hearing God's call, it will be a 
sign that your spiritual ears are closed. 

When the Duke of Wellington said that 
the battle of Waterloo was won on the 
cricket-field of Eton, he expressed a truth 
full of suggestions to all young people. 
The decisive battle of your experience 
will be lost or won, according to the use 
you make of to-day's training, of its plea- 
sures and recreations, as well as of its 
work and study. 

This was said of an office boy, after one 
day's trial: ''Because he gave himself 
so entirely to the task at hand, he was 
accepted. I watched him while he swept 
the office, although a procession with 
three or four brass bands passed by, he 
paid no attention to it, but swept on as 
if the sweeping of that room was the only 
thing of any consequence. Then I set 
him to addressing some envelopes, and 
although there were picture papers and 
other papers at the desk at which he sat, 
he paid no attention to them, but kept 
right on addressing those envelopes until 
the last one of them was addressed, and I 
said: 'He'll do, because he is thorough 
and earnest about everything.'" You 



132 THE master's call to service. 

may be naturally smart and gifted, but 
you must perform your task with heart 
and strength, if you would succeed. 

Plutarch said of the Roman Consul 
Coriolanus: ''He was always trying to 
excel himself." The same secret of ex- 
cellence is possessed by the sculptor, St. 
Gaudens. A Chicago reporter said to 
him, when a piece of work was unveiled 
in that city: ''I suppose, Mr. St. Gaudens, 
you consider this statue your master- 
piece.^" ''Indeed, I do not," was the 
quick reply, "my next statue is always 
my masterpiece." 

We generally hear what we are listening 
for. Two young men went to New York; 
one of them told about hearing low con- 
cert songs, Boweiy slang, the roar of the 
elevated trains, and the latest political 
gossip. The other young man came 
back telling how he had heard Paderew- 
ski, Dr. Wilbur Chapman, Jacob Riis, 
and the birds in the iVviary at Central 
Park. If we are in a listening attitude 
toward God, we shall hear every day in- 
ward voices that will lead us into larger 
paths and make our lives strong and suc- 
cessful. 



CONCLUSION. 133 

A sail boat was once lost in a heavy fog 
off the coast of Maine. The advice was 
given: '^Listen for the beating of the 
waves on the shore, that never stop." 
They followed the advice and reached 
the shore, so we must listen to the voice 
of God in His word, in providence and in 
our own hearts if we would hear the calls 
of the divine Master. 

When Appelles, the Greek painter, was 
asked why he bestowed so much labor 
upon his pictures, he replied: ''Because 
I am painting for eternity." So we are 
painting the pictures of our lives for 
eternity. Reader, what kind of a picture 
are you painting of your life for eternity ? 

Perhaps we can no better conclude 
this book than by narrating an historical 
incident which is inspiring and patriotic. 

Gaston DeFoix, a brave young general 
of the sixteenth century, faced a superior 
enemy with his small, but valiant, army. 
Defeat seemed inevitable. His knights 
begged him not to go to battle. Sudden- 
ly Gaston sprang forward, crying: ''Let 
him who loves me, follow me." The 
appeal to love aroused every sense of 
loyalty, and was not made in vain; 



134 THE master's call to service. 

knights and soldiers rushed to arms, un- 
der the spell of that watchword. Shall we 
do less for Jesus, the great Captain of our 
salvation ? His appeals ring in our ears : 
''Let him who loves Me, follow Me.'' 
Shall we refuse to pledge fidelity to Him, 
when that is the very test of true disciple- 
ship ? 

In response to the Master's call, may 
we ever be constrained to say, in the 
beautiful words of Frances R. Havergal: 

Take my life, and let it be, 
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee; 

Take my hands and let them move. 
At the impulse of Thy love. 

Take my feet, and let them be, 
Swift and beautiful for Thee; 

Take my voice and let me sing, 
Always, only for my King. 

Take my moments and my days, 
Let them flow in endless praise ; 

Take my intellect and use 

Ev'ry pow^r as Thou shalt choose. 

Take my will and make it Thine, 

It shall be no longer mine; 
Take my heart, it is Thine own; 

It shall be Thy royal throne. 



CONCLUSION. 135 

Take my love, my God, I pour 
At Thy feet its treasure store; 

Take myself, and I will be 
Ever, only, all for Thee. 



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